Alone Nevermore
by Khalthar
Summary: Bluestreak meets someone who has a REAL horror story for a life. Now he must be something he never thought possible, a Guardian, and a Hero! WARNING! This is an AMBER ALERT story, inspired by real life events!
1. Chapter 1

Alone Nevermore.

_**Author's notes: This is an Amber Alert story, with references to PAST child abduction and molestation. This story is inspired by true events, but is not based on them. It is meant for those who have been through something similar. For those of you who are out there and are still going through things like this; do NOT give up hope! We are still looking for you, and we will NEVER stop looking! **_

He was not a happy mech. The atmospheric entry hadn't been too bad, all things considered, but a thermal inconsistency in the upper atmosphere had caused a slight shift in his trajectory, forcing him to land far from the others in his group. He'd barely had time to transmit his new landing coordinates to the others before he'd slammed into the side of The Devil's Tower in Wyoming. His long range comm system had been knocked out of commission by the force of the impact against the solid granite of the stone plateau, and even though he'd sustained some other injuries during the rough landing it was the loss of communications that bothered him the most. Besides damaged armor and the lack of contact with the rest of the Autobots, his transmission mounts were knocked loose. It wasn't a major concern, especially knowing that Ratchet would be required by standard protocols to come with the retrieval party, but it would force him to go easy on the accelerator and not push himself to high speeds for any reason.

He'd managed to acquire a temporary alt mode within an hour of landing. He'd found it on an old ranch on the other side of The Devil's Tower, and while there were other choices possible, it was the only one suitable for his size. He planned on finding something better after getting some repairs, but for now the badly faded, rusty, beat up, and ragged out LTD would have to do.

The mech was well versed in the protocols of his situation. He knew that with his comm system out he had to stay within sensor range of his actual landing coordinates, just as he knew that he was not to reveal himself to the native humans unless he absolutely had no other option. The problem was that with his long range comm system out, Bluestreak had no one at all to talk to.

The small roadside rest stop was only a couple of miles from the Devil's Tower where he'd landed, so it was well within sensor range of his landing spot and no one who stopped there paid any mind to the seemingly abandoned dull grey 1978 Ford LTD that was obviously not going anywhere without a tow. Since the rest stop was on the only major road to the actual monument, Bluestreak knew that this was the best place to wait for the retrieval team.

For the past two days, Bluestreak had watched the traffic go by. The Devil's Tower was a popular tourist attraction, and being able to observe the groups of humans that stopped was only a minor distraction from his misery. After being trapped alone and damaged for who knew how long after everyone in his district had been slaughtered Bluestreak had a legitimate fear of remembering that carnage, and even though he knew that the others would arrive at his location sometime within another day or so that still meant a total of three days of being alone.

Bluestreak _hated_ solitude! When there were no humans at the rest stop he'd taken up the habit of talking to the native wildlife without being bothered by a lack of response or comprehension on the part of whatever creature he was speaking to; at other times he kept up a constant monologue to himself. He couldn't count the number of times he'd read the marker sign that listed some facts about the Devil's Tower, and he was still not only bored but miserable without someone to talk to in order to divert his mind from the thoughts of the past. He had no clue what kind of aerial creature that was picking at the scraps on the ground, but he noticed with some surprise that its black feathers glistened with blue highlights in the midday sun. Bluestreak was attempting to distract himself from his misery by talking to the creature when he had to go silent because of the white panel van that appeared to be slowing down to pull in to the rest stop. He knew that he wasn't supposed to allow the natives to hear him or know about him unless there were no other options.

Bluestreak blew air from his cooling vents in dismay when he realized that the van was actually going to pull in, and he'd have to remain silent once again. Oh Primus how he hated this! So complete was the mech's misery that he almost didn't notice that the van was still moving as the side door slid open. His curiosity was piqued as he looked over at the van. No sooner had he focused on it, than a small human was tossed out of the side door to land roughly on the ground as the driver gunned the accelerator and quickly sped off.

_Um, um, um, um, hey, aren't you forgetting something? Didn't you see the little human fall out? Hey, why are you leaving? Where are you going? Why are you leaving the little one behind?_ Bluestreak wanted desperately to ask as the white van rapidly vanished from visual sight.

The forlorn Autobot had no idea what to do as the small human sat there on the ground crying. From the information he had on the sentient natives of this world, he knew that a human that small had to be one of their sparklings. In horrified silence Bluestreak could only watch as the child sat there crying for more than an hour.

Later, she went over and sat down at the lone picnic table. The single scraggly tree provided little shade against the late afternoon sun, but it was better than nothing. As nightfall approached clouds were seen building up in the west. Dark, huge, and menacing in their appearance they made it obvious that a heavy downpour was on the way.

With the first drops of rain she pulled her scraped and bloody knees up to her chest and rested her chin on them, then she wrapped her arms around her legs to help hold them there. She was alone and scared, but in a strange way she also felt safer than she had in many years.

She was almost sure that the four men she'd been living with had lied to her. Lied about many things. That her family didn't love her anymore, that her family didn't want her anymore. That she'd been such a bad little girl that her family had given her away. These were only a few of the things she thought that they'd lied about. Still after living with them for seven years, she hoped deep in her heart that they had been lying but she could never, _would_ never, be totally sure.

They'd told her that she had grown too big for the games they liked. She didn't always scream and cry as much when they did things to her anymore. They'd told her that she was a bad girl because she let them do those things to begin with. But they had punished her horribly every time she'd tried to make them to stop. As much as she hated the four men that she'd been living with for the things they made her do with her clothes off, she knew that she'd rather be with them than out here alone. She had cried while begging them not to get rid of her. She'd even promised to be good but it hadn't made any difference. They'd only sneered at her and told her that she was such a bad girl that no one wanted her.

These were the thoughts that were going through the girl's mind when the rain started coming down in earnest. Ice cold drops coming down in thick heavy sheets which hit so hard that they stung like frozen needles. The small bedraggled tree that she was under did absolutely nothing to slow or stop any of it.

She sat there getting soaked before she finally became desperate for some kind of shelter from the freezing cold rain, and she raised her head to really look around for the first time. There wasn't a single house or building in sight. Some of the nearby pastures had been cleared either for grazing or for crops; although there were still some forested areas in the distance she could literally see for nearly half a mile in almost every direction. The only thing even close to shelter was the beat up old car that looked like it had been sitting there for years. With no other options she got up and ran over to the car to try to get inside out of the rain.

When the small human child climbed inside his cabin, Bluestreak nearly panicked right then and there. He knew that he wasn't supposed to interact with humans according to the orders from Optimus Prime, but Optimus surely didn't anticipate anything like this happening. Not knowing what he should do and not having anyone to ask, Bluestreak sat there nearly quivering in his indecision.

The results of a quick scanconvinced him. Thousands of years ahead of human technology his sensors were far more advanced than anything that could even dreamed of by human doctors.

As soon as she closed the door she huddled up on the driver's seat trying not to shiver. A minute later she screamed in fright when the car's engine started up and the heater turned on.

"Relax, please. I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. My name is Bluestreak, and I'm an Autobot. I saw that van leave you here, why would they do something like that? Didn't they realize that they had left you? What's your name? I turned the heater on for you so you can warm up and not be so cold, but I don't have any of that stuff that I've seen the humans who stop here consume. But if I think about it, I might be able to come up with a way to get you some of it. So why did they leave you out here all alone anyway? Didn't they know that you'd get scared? Don't they care if you get hurt? What if something happens to you? How would they find out about it? Do you have any way to contact them and let them know you're still here?" Bluestreak said excited that he finally had someone that he could talk to.

With the first words that started coming out of the car's radio, she froze in fright. By the time the car finished talking she was pulling at the latch trying to get out. Upon finding that the door wouldn't open, she started hitting on it getting more desperate by the second.

As soon as the small human started banging on his door trying to get it open, Bluestreak couldn't take it any more.

"_Ow_! That hurts! Will you stop please? That really hurts!" Bluestreak pleaded loudly.

When she heard the car tell her that she was hurting it, she stopped and looked at the dashboard. She more than half expected someone from Onstar tell her that she was in trouble and that the cops were on their way. Either that or she was on one of those weird reality shows where they pulled those strange practical jokes on people.

She was scared, she'd been dumped on the ground, her hands and knees were scraped up and were once again bleeding a bit, and her head hurt where she'd hit it on the asphalt when she been pushed out of the still moving van. Now she was sure that she was in trouble for getting in this weird car to get out of the rain. As far as she was concerned things couldn't possibly get any worse.

"What do you want from me?" she asked as fresh tears formed in her eyes.

"I just want someone to talk to so I don't have to be alone. I don't like it when I'm alone. I start to remember bad things when I'm alone. That's why I like to have someone to talk to. I'm Bluestreak by the way, and I'm an Autobot. What's your name? Why did that van just leave you like that?" Bluestreak replied.

"Are you going to call the cops on me?" she asked worriedly.

"No. Why would I call the cops? Are you a criminal? Did you break the law by getting left by that van? Did you do something to the people that were driving it? You're not a criminal are you? I mean how can you be in the wrong when the van is the one at fault for leaving you?" Bluestreak answered.

"What are you going to do to me?" she asked fearfully.

"Huh? What do you mean, what am I going to do to you? I'm not doing anything to you except trying to help you out a little. I thought that you were cold so I turned the heater on. Aren't you cold? You sure look cold when you start shaking like that, and there is a large amount of thermal variance in the different portions of your body, so that tells me that you're cold. That's why I turned the heater on for you. Do you want me to turn it off?" Bluestreak finished in a slightly confused tone.

She shook her head slightly to try to make sense of everything the car had said to her; while at the same time trying to wrap her mind around the fact that the car could talk to begin with. It wasn't that the car was talking fast; it just seemed that the car liked to _ramble_.

"Huh? Uh, no. Don't turn it off. I am cold. That rain is freezing." She answered hesitantly trying to figure out just how to respond to that many comments and questions at the same time.

"I thought you were cold. That's why I turned on the heater. So you wouldn't be cold. I don't know if you heard, but I'm Bluestreak. I'm an Autobot. I'm waiting here for my friends to come get me. They said they'd be here in about seventy two hours; that's three days, but that was before my long range comm system got knocked out by the landing. So, now I have to wait for them to show up. I thought I'd have to spend the whole time sitting here by myself with no one to talk to, but now that you're here I can talk to you, and why did they leave you here anyway? Didn't they know that you fell out?" Bluestreak said excitedly.

"I didn't fall out; they pushed me. They said I'm too old for the games that they like to play now. So Papa Dave told Papas Tim, Steve, and Erik to get rid of me." the girl answered tonelessly.

The Autobot gunner sank down on his tires as he felt his energon run cold when the small human in his cabin said those words. He could feel his primary logic processor and his emotion processor overheating from both the shock, disbelief, and more than a bit of anger at the girl's words. Bluestreak quickly ran the scene across his HUD and zeroed in on the opening of the van while zooming in. There! Clearly the small human was telling him the truth. As much as he didn't want to believe it, Bluestreak couldn't deny the evidence that had been so obviously recorded by his visual scanners. He froze the replay and expanded the image. Not one but two sets of hands were blatantly shoving the girl out of the van.

For the first time in his existence after being rescued from the shattered remains of his former home, Bluestreak found himself at a loss for words. The shocking realization that someone could deliberately do such a thing to a sparkling was beyond abhorrent to the Autobot. What made it even worse for Bluestreak was that from what she'd just said, they had planned the entire thing! They hadn't even cared that she'd heard them planning it.

As much as Bluestreak despised and hated the Decepticons for the suffering and misery that they'd caused him, he didn't think that even they could do something as horribly wrong as this.

All of this flashed through Bluestreak's central processors in microseconds. The cold broiling rage that he felt welling in his emotional circuits was frightening to him. He never would have believed that he could get this angry, that he could feel such hatred towards anything. Sparklings were the very future brought to life. They were to be cherished, taught, loved, and above all protected. So why, no, _how,_ could anyone possibly abandon one of them intentionally?

Bluestreak shuddered right down to his chassis as he tried to get control of himself. He decided to let Optimus deal with this when he finally met up with the others. Having made the decision to turn the problem over to those with more wisdom and experience took a lot of the weight off of Bluestreak's processor, and he realized that it was the best thing that he could do since Optimus would know how to approach the human authorities about this problem. Bluestreak knew that he'd need more information to give them though, so he set about finding out what he could in the meantime.

"What's your name?" Bluestreak asked the still shivering girl softly.

"I know my first name is Amber, but they changed it to Maigan after I started living with them. They kept changing my last name, and I don't remember what it was anymore." she answered.

"Why would they change your name?" Bluestreak asked while struggling to keep the questions down to a minimum so the girl could answer.

"They told me that my family didn't love me anymore because I was bad. They said that I had to live with them because my family didn't want me anymore. Then they told me that I needed a new name because they didn't like my old one." Amber answered as the horrible memories of that first day brought fresh tears to her eyes.

"I'm sorry they did those things to you Amber. They didn't deserve to be your caretakers, and you didn't deserve to be in their care. I may not know a lot about humans, but I don't think that you did anything wrong." Bluestreak told her gently.

"Then why did they get rid of me?" Amber wailed as fresh sobs racked her body.

"I don't know the answer to that, Amber. I've only known you for a few minutes, but I know that I couldn't do that to you. I will say this though: when Optimus and the others get here, they will know what to do to help you. Until then you can stay with me and at least be out of the cold. I'm not really sure how to take care of a sparkling, since I've never had one before, but I'm sure that I can find out anything I need to know from Optimus and the others as soon as they get here. So will you stay with me until my friends arrive? I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to. I'm not going to make you stay, but I sure wish that you would because it would give me someone to talk to." Bluestreak finished hopefully.

Tears were still rolling down Amber cheeks as she looked out at the pounding rain. She knew that it was cold out there and it was getting dark. She didn't know where she could go and had no one to call. The men had never let her go visit anyone since they didn't want her talking about things that she shouldn't mention, so she didn't really have any friends outside of school either. It was strange because in a way, she kind of knew how the car felt about being alone. There were two questions that kept running through her head at that moment. The first was _why did they do this to __me__?_ The second was _what's going to happen to __me__ now?_

Not being able to come up with an answer to either one of those questions, Amber figured she was better off with the car than on her own. At least she'd be out of the rain; she wouldn't be alone, and she'd at least have _something_ that was trying to help her.

Amber nodded her head. "I'd... I'd like that." she answered hesitantly.

"Oh, good! I'm so glad I won't have to be alone anymore. I really don't like it when I'm alone. I start to remember bad things that happened to me when I'm alone, and I don't like to think about those things. But now that you're here I'll have someone to talk to." Bluestreak said cheerfully.

"I... I don't want to be alone either." Amber replied with a hitch from crying.

"Good. We'll stick together until my friends arrive. I'm sure you'll like them once you get to know them." Bluestreak started saying before he was interrupted by a flash of lightning that struck the tree sheltering the picnic table not far away.

One of the most dangerous, and powerful forces in nature, a single bolt of lightning can be composed of more than forty separate electrical sparks. Created by a positive electron charge in the atmosphere and a negative charge on the ground, as the positive and negative charges made contact through interconnecting air molecules, a spark was formed. Capable of containing enough electrical power to supply the energy needs of a small to mid sized town for a month, the electrical spark generated produces more than one and a half million degrees of heat instantly. The superheated air then expands explosively, causing a massive sonic boom more than ample to shatter windows.

Amber jumped at the flash of lightning, while at almost the same instant Bluestreak felt his frame get rocked by the blast of thunder. Bluestreak knew that he was no scientist, but that didn't mean that his processor was slow either. Any electrical spark with enough power to jump five miles through open atmosphere was _not_ going to be stopped by a few meager inches of rubber, simulated or otherwise!

"Wow! That was amazing! Does that happen very often on this world? I didn't know things like that could happen. Did you see that? What was it? That was even more impressive than one of Ironhide's cannons! Look at that! It shattered that weird looking structure that you were under earlier, and made it start burning. What do you call that stuff?" Bluestreak blurted out excitedly as he looked at the results of the lightning strike.

"The flash is called lightning, the noise is called thunder, and I don't like either one. It usually just hits trees like it just did, but it can hit other things too" Amber answered nervously, grateful that she wasn't still out there sitting on that bench.

"I've never seen anything like this before, but I don't think we should stay here while this is going on. That doesn't look like it was controlled, and I don't think my systems could handle getting hit with that much power, and even if they can handle that much power I don't think it would feel very good at all. There had to be a lot of power in that discharge for it to reach that far from the sky. Do you think we should leave?" Bluestreak asked apprehensively.

"Yes, please." Amber agreed wanting no part of nature's fury.

Bluestreak put himself in gear, but before he could move; his attention was caught by the headlights of a vehicle pulling in to the rest stop.

The vehicle came to a stop and turned off the lights. In the light of another flash of lightning; Amber and her new friend could see four men getting out of the van.

Recognizing it as the same vehicle that had abandoned Amber to survive on her own, Bluestreak activated the filter program on his audio sensors. Using that program to remove the sounds caused by the wind, rain, and even the intermittent thunder; the Autobot sniper could clearly pick up what the men were saying and he routed it into his cabin for Amber to hear as well.

"Man, I'm telling you this stinks! This is no kind of weather to be doing this shit in." Said one that Amber knew was Erik.

"Shut up! If you idiots had done the job right the first time we wouldn't have to be out here in this stinking rain at all! I told you to get rid of her, and I didn't mean just _dump_ her either! Do you have any idea what's gonna happen if anyone else finds her before we do? I'll tell you what's gonna happen! She's going to identify us, and then they're gonna find the DNA evidence from our last little round of fun with her, and we'll all end up in the joint for the rest of our lives! Now we find her, kill her, and dump the little bitch where the body won't _ever_ be found! Got me?" Dave demanded angrily.

"They came back... They... They want to kill me! They're going to kill me!" Amber exclaimed in a rising panic, a wave of fear ripping through her chest.

Bluestreak wasn't entirely certain about the situation, but he didn't like the tone or choice of words, so just to be absolutely sure about things he conducted a thorough scan of the four men while recording the results.

Bluestreak knew that the weapons they carried wouldn't do much damage to him, but they _would_ be effective against Amber or another human. Each man carried a large projectile weapon which his sensors told him would eject a spray pattern, along with a secondary single hand model that expelled a single projectile at high velocity, and a non-plasma-charged blade. He didn't need Amber to tell him that the shotguns and pistols were meant to be lethal, because he could see that for himself in the way they were being handled.

"I have to run! I have to hide!" Amber wailed as fresh tears ran down her cheeks.

Before the human could open his door to try to escape her impending death, Bluestreak made sure that his doors were still locked, refusing to let her out.

"I won't let them hurt you Amber. I know you're scared, but you don't need to be. I'm an Autobot, and Autobots protect those who need help, and right now _you_ need my help. Just hold on and stay still; if they spot us, then we're getting out of here, okay?" Bluestreak said in a calm but firm tone.

The Autobot had been in many situations like this before. He knew what to do without any question. Hide, wait, and only when spotted did you move after pulling off an ambush. While there hadn't been an ambush, Bluestreak knew that it was the exact same situation; just as he knew that he was well trained and experienced at his job in the Autobot ranks. Knowing that this situation could come down to split second timing, Bluestreak closed himself off from his emotions. It wasn't like he could imitate Prowl or anything, because he could still feel the emotions that he had; it was just that they didn't have any effect on what he needed to do, and the Autobot knew that he needed a clear processor to get the human sparkling out of this alive without harming the humans trying to kill her. Even though the Autobot felt that he'd probably be vindicated in killing these men, the orders from Optimus were clear. Humans were not to be harmed.

A scan of the panel van told Bluestreak some of what he needed to know. He knew that he wasn't the fastest Autobot. Forget about Blurr, he couldn't even keep up with Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, or Jazz, but still, he could tell that he wouldn't normally have any problem outrunning this human-made vehicle; normally, meaning undamaged.

Once more, Bluestreak cursed the luck that had caused him to slam into that unyielding formation. He knew that he was just as beat up as he looked, but he could still function and move, just not as fast as he normally could.

"Amber, I want you to listen to me, okay? I won't let them catch you, and I won't let them hurt you. But, I need you to be still, and quiet; okay? I want them to get a little farther away from their transport before I make a run for it. I'm going to put my safety restraints on you, so don't be scared and don't scream. I don't want them to know you're with me until it's too late for them to catch us." Bluestreak told her calmly, having analyzed his options in an instant.

Amber nodded her head hesitantly and Bluestreak grinned to himself as he thought this out. He already knew exactly where he would head, and what course he would take. He knew that the men could get back to their van quickly and would soon follow him, but that wouldn't make a sliver of difference once this became a foot race! After all, what short legged human could keep up with a thirty foot tall mech over rough terrain? The only thing Bluestreak needed to make sure of was that he had enough of a lead to safely let Amber out while he transformed to take off on foot.

With his plan of action nestled firmly in his battle computer, Bluestreak waited until the men started moving closer to where he was parked. The men were less than ten feet away, and Amber let out a choked sob when she heard them yelling her name. Then a flash of lightning split the sky and Dave saw her sitting in the abandoned clunker.

"There she is! Get her!" Dave yelled pointing.

As the four men bolted forward; two things happened. Amber screamed and Bluestreak redlined his engine. Just as one of the men was reaching for his door handle, Bluestreak shot forward. He didn't have anything close to his usual speed, but that made little difference as the men were forced to run back to their van before they could give chase.


	2. Chapter 2

Alone Nevermore 2

Tires were squealing with a loud tortured wail as the beat up old looking LTD fish-tailed out onto the highway. The shredded exhaust pipes of his alt mode made it sound as if he were exactly what he truly was: an unearthly machine that was madder than hell.

While most of his armor, and a fair bit of what became his drive train, had been damaged by his landing, the parts of him that comprised Bluestreak's engine were still in top form and the big Ford 464 V-8 engine that he'd scanned was finely tuned and running perfectly. Bluestreak just hoped that his transmission was still up to the task of getting them where they needed to go.

Exactly six point two seconds had passed when Bluestreak saw the headlights of the van as it careened onto the road. He knew they wouldn't give up easily, but then again, Bluestreak had no intentions of giving up at all.

"Th… They're coming!" Amber stuttered when she saw the headlights in the rear view mirror.

"I know. Hang on, Amber." Bluestreak said as he poured power through his damaged transmission.

Though it never showed in his voice; Bluestreak was worried. He'd been banged up by that crash landing more than he thought, and in spite of everything he'd done to gain a lead; the van was inexorably closing the gap.

"Faster Bluestreak! They're catching up!" Amber urged in a panic.

Bluestreak knew that he had less than two miles to cover before he planned on this becoming a foot pursuit, which meant that he didn't have a lot of time or ground to gain the safe distance that he'd need to pull off his plan. He didn't care how much it hurt, because he knew that he didn't have that far to go on an open highway. It didn't matter to him if this escape left his alt mode immobilized as long as he was able to keep this human sparkling safe.

Amber heard the car grunt from the pain and effort of pouring more power through his badly damaged transmission. The roar of his engine was loud enough to hear over the fury of the storm, and to Amber it sounded like the car she was in was even more dangerous than the lightning.

Bluestreak's engine was roaring with all of the mechanized fury that blazed in his spark. While he wasn't exactly sure why these men were after Amber, he was sure that from what the apparent leader had said that they had done something wrong and Amber knew what it was. Knowing that the men who were now chasing him were willing to kill a sparkling to cover whatever crime they had committed was driving Bluestreak into a type of fury that he'd never felt before.

Bluestreak began to try to use that fury to help him push past the pain of his damaged systems and gain some more speed. The van was now far too close for comfort, and Bluestreak was struggling to break eighty miles per hour. He felt Amber jump in fright even as he felt the painful sting of the pellets from the shotgun blast. A little surprised that the girl had heard the deep throated boom of the shotgun over the unmuffled exhaust of his engine, Bluestreak did the only thing he could: he pushed his accelerator towards the floor in spite of the pain.

Amber had jumped and screamed in fright when she'd heard the gun go off. It was a sound that was all too familiar to her from her camping trips with the four men. They had often told her that the way she smelled after their 'games' and during certain times of the month would bring the bucks closer to them and that was why they had wanted her along. But now, with that one familiar sound Amber realized that they didn't really care anything about her and her entire world was brutally torn apart. How could they be trying to kill her after the number of times that they had told her that they loved her? If they didn't love her anymore because she'd been a bad girl for letting them play their games, then how were they any different from her parents? Could she ever trust anyone who said they loved her? Was the word love nothing but some vicious lie that grownups used to get their way? Her parents had told her that they loved her but then gave her away, and then her four Papas had told her they loved her but they were now trying to kill her, so, how could she ever trust any grownup again?

Amber didn't know how to even begin to answer any of the questions that were racing through her mind even faster than Bluestreak was racing down the road. She watched as the needle on the car's speedometer crept past ninety and began climbing towards the one hundred mark. She'd never gone this fast in a car in her life and while it scared her, the thought of what would happen if the men in the van caught up with them scared her even more.

The sounds of several more shots pinged off the back of the car, and Amber turned to Bluestreak almost certain that she was going to die. She could hear the car grunting in pain every time the bullets or pellets hit him, and she knew that they were hurting him. She knew that he was getting hurt because he was trying to help her. Even after the way she had hurt him by banging on his door, he was trying to help her. Then Amber realized that if her banging on the door had hurt, then those bullets must be making him want to scream. Even when she wasn't looking back; Amber could almost swear that she could hear the van closing in on them.

"If… If they catch me. If I let them catch me, do you think they'll let you go?" Amber asked hesitantly.

"Ugh! Don't... Don't know, but we're… Ugh… Not going to find out either! If I can... Argh! make it to the Devil's… Ugh… Tower, then we can lose them. I may not be allowed to… Ugh… hurt them, but I can't let them hurt you. They'll… Ugh… Have to kill me first, and those weapons can't do it." Bluestreak told her, grunting in pain every time a bullet or shotgun blast struck his frame.

"But they're not after you." Amber muttered to herself.

Bluestreak didn't respond because he was too busy concentrating on maintaining his speed while rounding the final curve to his destination.

"Yes!" Bluestreak nearly shouted in triumphant joy as his battered transmission finally made the final shift into high gear.

There was a sudden surge of power as the Autobot shot forward in a fresh burst of speed. With the needle on his speedometer now climbing at something closer to normal, Bluestreak knew that he wouldn't be driving anywhere very fast when this was over, but that didn't matter to him now as his speed quickly climbed to one hundred and sixty miles per hour. The van was still too close to allow him to stop and let his human friend out, but then, Bluestreak did have a backup plan.

Suddenly, like turning off a faucet, the pounding rain came to a stop, and with less than a quarter mile to go it was not a moment too soon. Bluestreak could feel his transmission beginning to shake, vibrate, and rattle in its mounts as he struggled to coax just a little more speed out of his shuddering pain filled frame. He knew that he was going to catch the very pit of a lecture from Ratchet over this, but that would have to be later. Right now, he didn't care as long as he got the distance gap he needed.

As the car raced up the slight hill; the road ran out and turned to broken rocks as he entered the parking area near the base of the tower. Amber screamed when the car suddenly spun sideways and began to flip.

Bluestreak had it all planned out. The second his tires left pavement he released the seatbelts around the human sparkling in his cabin, and flipping himself into a controlled skid, then flung himself sideways into a counter clockwise spin. The instant his tires caught on the rocks and he began to flip, he flung open his driver side door; tossing Amber straight up into the open air. Bluestreak transformed as fast as he could. Amber never heard the sounds of the whirling gears and grinding metal plates that accompanied the Autobot's transformation. All she heard was the sound of her own scream filling her ears as she flew tumbling through the air faster than she'd ever gone while riding in any normal car.

His sensors tracked the all too fragile body of the human sparkling as momentum carried them both forward in the same direction they'd been traveling. Bluestreak was flipping sideways as he transformed in midair, and the damage he'd taken during his landing made his transformation almost as painful as any injury he'd ever sustained, but he knew that Amber's life depended on him and he did what he knew he had to do.

Amber's scream of terror came to a stop when she felt something massive wrap her in its protective embrace. The entire world was still spinning madly until Bluestreak came to a stop in a three point crouch, with his right hand cradling Amber gently.

"Are you alright Amber? I'm sorry that I scared you like that; I didn't really have time to warn you about what I was going to do, because I was too busy trying to put enough distance between us and those men so we can get away from them." Bluestreak explained while scanning her for injuries even in the midst of standing up.

Amber squealed in fear as she realized that she was being held by whatever it was that had her, and began struggling to get loose.

"Amber what are you doing? It's me, Bluestreak. Remember?" Bluestreak asked worried that she might fall and get hurt.

"What? What are you?" She asked in shock while still staring at the strange figure that held her in its hand.

"I told you that I was an Autobot didn't I? I thought I explained all that, but then things have been happening pretty fast, so maybe I didn't get the chance to explain everything properly. This is my standard mode, and when I look like a car, that's my alt mode. Are you sure that I didn't tell you this already? I could have sworn that I told you all of this." Bluestreak said in a somewhat puzzled tone as he began walking quickly up the slope towards the timberline.

"So, you're a giant robot _and_ a car?" Amber asked as she tried to understand what was going on. She was staring at two glowing points of soft blue light that looked much like eyes except that they glowed with a light of their own. When another flash of lightning showed her exactly what she was looking at; she couldn't believe her eyes. It was almost like seeing one of her favorite Gundams brought to life. She knew that couldn't possibly true, because that only happened in the Japanese Anime and Hentai cartoons that she was used to watching.

"Well, yes actually. Autonomous Robotic Life Form to be exact, but we like to call ourselves Autobots. It's so much easier on the vocalizer and faster too. I mean you don't go around calling yourself an Organic Based Homo Sapien Life Form; do you? I mean that would take much to long to say in normal conversation, and it seems kind of awkward to me, but then I'm not a human, so I really shouldn't say one way or the other." Bluestreak agreed.

Amber was about to agree with the strange robot when she saw lights flash on the trees in front of them. Craning her neck to look back the way they'd come she saw the van coming to a stop.

"Oh no! They're here!" Amber nearly cried.

"I know Amber. I've been tracking their progress on my scanners. I knew they were too close to slow down and stop to let you out, so I had to do it a little differently. I will say this though: that is much too dangerous to you for me to ever try again, unless there isn't any other option. I'm sure that I'm going to get in trouble for putting you in jeopardy like that, but those men didn't leave me much choice, and I know Ratchet isn't going to be very happy with me for ruining my transmission, but I'll face those problems when Optimus and the others come to get us." Bluestreak told her as he made his way through the trees.

"It's too bad that they brought their guns. If they didn't have them; I'll bet you could jump out and yell at them and scare them off." Amber lamented sadly.

Although the girl in his hand couldn't see it; her comment made the Autobot gunner grin with delight as he realized that her idea could actually work. After all, there had to be a _reason_ this place was called 'The Devil's Tower'. He knew from the marker that he'd read countless times that the name was actually a mistranslation of the term 'The Bear's Tower' from a Native American language, but he was also pretty sure that these men didn't know that.

Bluestreak worked his way along the steep side of the solid granite formation with his scanners peeled. His was keeping track of the four human men who wanted to kill Amber while at the same time looking for a safe place to hide her for a few moments.

Five minutes after Amber had made her offhand suggestion Bluestreak found exactly what he was looking for. It was a small niche about thirty feet off the ground, and even though it wasn't raining any longer he could see that it would be a form of shelter for the small human because it was still dry inside.

"Amber, I want you to listen to me for a minute. I'm going to put you in a hiding spot so that they can't find you, but I can. Don't try to go anywhere because you'll fall and get hurt, and I don't want that to happen." Bluestreak instructed as he placed her gently in the small space.

"Wait! Where are you going? Why are you leaving me here?" Amber asked beginning to panic again.

Bluestreak smiled softly.

"Relax, Amber. I'm not allowed to hurt them, but you're right about one thing; I _can_ scare them a little. Optimus already informed me that humans are afraid of us because of our size, so maybe I can scare them away from you forever. I just wish that Sunstreaker and Sideswipe were here. They're so much better at pulling pranks like this than I am. Even though I've learned a little from them, they are real experts at practical jokes; they even got Jazz once." Bluestreak said with a smile.

"But they have guns! They'll shoot you!" Amber exclaimed worriedly.

"Don't worry, I told you. Their weapons can't really hurt me. Well, that's not exactly true, they do hurt, but they can't injure me. I'll be fine. I may not be as good as the twins, but I think I can pull off one good practical joke that will scare them into running away. Besides, I think it's time to see how much they like being scared. So, you just wait right there, while I go chase them off. I'll try not to be gone too long, so don't try to go anywhere, because if you fall; you'll get hurt and then I'd _really_ be in trouble. Ratchet would probably put so many dents in my cranial plates that I'd never get them all out. So just wait right there okay?" Bluestreak said reassuringly as he turned back towards the men who were now spreading out to search for Amber.

Bluestreak had barely taken two steps towards the area where the men were searching when he heard Amber call out softly.

"Please be careful."

"Don't worry Amber. I'm a soldier. This is something I know how to do, and as far as pranks go I've been working with the best." Bluestreak replied as he began moving silently.

At just over thirty feet in height, and weighing several tons, no human would have thought any mech the size of an Autobot could move in near perfect silence. But that was exactly what Bluestreak was doing. He'd shut down his optics and was relying on his sensors to know the positions and movements of the four humans who were still less than one hundred yards from their vehicle. With those sensitive scanners of his he saw them moving slowly, carefully, and he could tell that they were using the flashes of lightning to conduct their search instead of using their flashlights in order to avoid giving away their positions. As he got closer to them, he could hear their muttered comments to one another.

"Where the hell did she learn to drive?"

"Get real you idiot! There's no way in hell that little bitch was driving. She's got someone with her, an' I'll bet that whoever it is plans on tappin' that little ass just like we've been doing. So we find 'em both and kill 'em. Got it? Now stay quiet and look. They have to be around here somewhere, because they damn sure didn't slip past us."

As he would have done on any mission, Bluestreak was recording everything. Both the comments that each man made and which man made it. As he heard the men make their plans, Bluestreak felt a black burning rage settle in his spark even as the energon ran cold in his lines at the callous way these men meticulously made their plans to kill a sparkling.

Having been trained as a consummate ambush artist, Bluestreak waited until they were just a few yards away from him. Then, when his sensors detected the ionic build up that heralded another electrical discharge; he suddenly stepped out in front of them just in time to be fully illuminated by the flash of lightning through the sky.

The Autobot almost snickered to himself when he saw the men startle in fright upon spotting his large frame. There one instant, and gone the next; Bluestreak intended to put some fear of Primus into these cold sparkless killers.

"Damnit Dave! What the fuck was that?"

"How the hell should I know? If it shows up again; shoot it!"

"Did you see that thing? It was _huge_!"

"Oh shit man! We are so dead."

"No we aren't! Just stay sharp, and be ready to fire."

Bluestreak was listening to each and every comment they made, and knew that his plan was working perfectly. The four humans were now nervous, and it was time to try escalating that nervousness into fear and then into outright terror. He was about to show himself again when his audio receptors picked up a loud horrible sounding moan from the massive stone formation behind him. A quick scan revealed a gust of wind howling through one of the numerous cracks in the stone structure creating the eerie noise. So awful and spark chilling was the sound, that Bluestreak could almost swear that he felt his armor begin to crawl. That was when he remembered what this place was called, and the mech smiled to himself.

After waiting for the next flash of lightning, Bluestreak once more revealed himself to the humans; only this time he activated his optics while facing them. Not one of them got a shot off even though he'd stood there facing them for a full two seconds during the lightning flash. By now the four humans were starting to glance around nervously, but they weren't nervous enough, yet.

By the time he'd appeared in front of the men six times they were clearly ready to panic, and Bluestreak couldn't have been happier. Not only were the men scared, but they were also moving in the wrong direction to find Amber, and that last fact was a great relief to the Autobot. They had fired at him several times during his last two appearances, but not one of their panicked shots had hit him, even though he'd been less than forty feet from them at the time.

Bluestreak knew that it was time for one last appearance, and he planned to make this one count once and for all. When he sensed a much larger ionic buildup, Bluestreak knew that _this_ was going to be the one.

A split second after Bluestreak stepped in front of the men, more than a dozen bolts of lightning blasted and tore their way through the sky illuminating everything as if it were high noon, and once again a loud and eerie unearthly moan could be heard from the Tower itself. The resulting thunder was not only loud, but so powerful that it literally shook the ground he was standing on, and it seemed to Bluestreak as if Primus himself was lending a hand and displaying his wrath to help him out because he was sure that nothing else could come anywhere close to explaining the terrifying and spark freezing display of raw elemental fury going on around him.

Even as panicked shots pinged off his armor, Bluestreak caused his optics to flash as bright as he could. With his optics nearly white, and glowing like impossibly hot flames; the mech leaned forward and let out a roar the likes of which had never been heard on Earth.

"Leave my Tower, humans, and _never_ return! If I _ever_ see you again, you will suffer my wrath!" Bluestreak yelled as loud as he could.

It was the straw that broke the camel's back as far the men were concerned. Almost as one they turned and fled for the safety of their van. Bluestreak chuckled to himself when he saw them nearly flood the engine while trying to get it started. When it finally caught, the van peeled out in reverse, before leaving with tires squealing the entire way.

Satisfied that the men had left, and knowing that he'd recorded both their faces and the comments they'd made about killing Amber, Bluestreak was sure that the human authorities would be looking for them after he turned over the information that he had.

Bluestreak began making his way back to the small niche in the stone side of the Devil's Tower that Amber was hiding in. He'd heard her scream every time the men had fired their weapons at him; she'd screamed his name when he roared and he knew then that she was really worried about him.

Amber was still in the tiny cave like hole that Bluestreak had put her in and told her to wait for him. Sure he'd told her that guns couldn't really hurt him, but she'd gone hunting with those four men far too many times not to know that their guns could kill. During the lightning flashes, she'd also seen that there was no way that she could get down on her own. She'd pulled her short skirt around her to try to keep warm, but that wasn't doing much good. The darkness was so complete that she couldn't see anything, except when lightning lit everything up, so when she spotted two glowing points of blue light coming towards her through the trees, it unnerved her more than a little.

She kept watching those blue lights coming closer, and she wasn't sure what they were, but they were pretty high up. Then, when everything lit up and she saw that it was a very large robot coming towards her; she nearly cried in relief. She was sure that it had to be Bluestreak because she just knew that there couldn't be _that_ many giant robots walking around, but then again he had mentioned friends.

"Bluestreak? Is that you? Did… Did they hurt you?" Amber asked worriedly as he came closer.

"No. Not really. I mean their weapons did hurt, but they can't cause any real damage. I'm sure it messed up my paint; not that anyone's going to notice that with my current alt mode though. You should have seen it, Amber! Sideswipe and Sunstreaker would have been really proud of me! I'm glad I recorded the whole thing. I made them take off running like Primus himself was after them. Now I know why the twins like pulling pranks so much. What a charge! I think even Jazz is going to be impressed with this one! I can't wait until the others get here, so I can tell them about it. They aren't going to believe how easy it was. And now that they're gone, you don't have to worry anymore, because I made sure that they won't ever come back." Bluestreak said excitedly as he reached out to retrieve the girl from her hiding spot.

As Amber's eyes readjusted to the darkness she saw something that she was sure wasn't there before.

"What… What's that?" Amber asked pointing at a lightly glowing trail of fluid that was running slowly down the side of the mech's abdomen.

Bluestreak stopped reaching for Amber and looked down in confusion. As soon as he spotted the trail of energon, he knew what had happened. One of the projectiles from the human weapons had ricocheted off his bent and damaged armor and nicked one of his energon lines. A scan revealed that it wasn't all that serious, but he would need to get it treated before trying to transform again.

This brought up a whole new set of worries for Bluestreak. Without being able to access his alt mode, he couldn't go to any of the nearby towns to get anything that Amber might need. He also couldn't let her use the cabin of his alt mode to stay out of the weather. He was sure that these weather conditions would continue throughout the rest of the night, and he was beginning to wonder what he was going to do to keep Amber warm and dry.

Bluestreak didn't stop to wonder why he was becoming so preoccupied with Amber's safety and welfare, and even if he had wondered about it he wouldn't have known about certain protocols that had been embedded deep into the central core programming of every bot ever created. While medics and certain command personnel knew about the subroutines which ensured that each and every sparkling would always be safeguarded, the average bot didn't know about them. Though the Decepticons had long since rid themselves of such protocols, the Autobots had retained them. Thus Bluestreak wasn't aware that from the instant that Amber had climbed into his cabin that he had become many things to her.

Protector, Guardian, Caretaker, Defender, Champion; the role he now assumed had been given many names and titles throughout Cybertronian history, but each term meant the same thing: Amber's welfare was now the foremost priority in Bluestreak's processors. Bluestreak wasn't aware of any of this, but then he really didn't need to know anything about sparkling care protocols or Guardian subroutines to know that he wanted to be Amber's friend. He knew that she needed a friend right now, and he knew that she needed someone who was able to look out for her. Even though he was the only bot around at the time, Bluestreak knew that he was the mech for the job, so by the Matrix, he was going to give it his all, and may Primus have pity on anyone else that threatened Amber's safety.

"Oops. Looks like I've sprung a leak. That's called energon, and it carries power to our systems. I think I might have damaged a line somewhere, maybe when I transformed." Bluestreak explained lamely.

Amber may not have spent much time with the strange robot to know everything about him, but she _had_ spent enough time with him to know that the answer that he'd just given her was off somehow. He hadn't started rambling the way he usually did, and that told Amber that he was trying to hide something, and now, thanks to the half hearted explanation, she knew exactly what that something was and she stared at the mech in horror.

"You… You're _bleeding_! I knew it! I knew they'd hurt you! They shot you didn't they? They shot you, and now you're bleeding and you're even trying to lie about it." Amber cried out as new tears welled in her eyes.

"Amber look. It's not that bad, okay? I've been hurt a lot worse than this before. The only thing this means is that I can't change back into my alt mode until this gets fixed. Optimus and the others will be here tomorrow. Standard safety protocols stipulate that after losing contact with me that they bring a combat team and a medic with them, in case I'm badly damaged, or in a tight spot because of a Decepticon attack. Ratchet will fix me up as soon as he gets here. He's not going to be very happy about what I did to my transmission, but he'll be able to fix me up as good as new, and when I tell him that I had to do it to save your life then he won't be so mad at me. He can be grouchy sometimes, but he's really a good mech. So as long as I don't try to transform or get into a fight, I'll be fine for another few days and Ratchet will be here long before then." Bluestreak told her reassuringly as he picked her up.

Amber looked up at Bluestreak's glowing optics doubtfully.

"You better not be trying to lie to me again, Bluestreak. If you're hurt then I want to know, because if you are then we need to try to get you some help." Amber told him seriously.

"That's something I don't understand. Just how did you know that I was trying to lie to you? Everybody tells me that I can't tell a lie to save my life and I don't understand why, even though everyone can somehow tell that I'm lying as soon as I try to lie. How come no one ever believes me when I try to lie? Am I that obvious? I mean; I don't try to be obvious about it, but then I don't ever try to be obvious about anything. Why would you _want_ someone to know everything you're doing? That just seems unnatural to me. Would you want everyone to know everything you were doing all the time? I certainly don't want everyone to know everything I'm doing at all times, because then I wouldn't ever have any privacy. I know I don't like being alone, but that's different, isn't it?" Bluestreak said a little frustrated at being found out so easily.

Amber was unable to resist the giggle that rose within her at that response, because _this_ was the Bluestreak that she was familiar with. She couldn't help but like Bluestreak, because he was so bad at lying that it proved he didn't try it very often and that meant that he was honest, and she could tell that he felt bad because he couldn't even lie about getting hurt to make her feel better.

"Bluestreak, are you _sure_ that it's not serious?" Amber asked suspiciously as the mech began walking through the darkness.

"Oh I'm positive about that. I did do a thorough scan, and it won't cause any real problem unless I try to transform back into my alt mode. I don't think I'm in any shape to be taking on any missions right now, and certainly not against the Decepticons, but I'll be fine until Ratchet gets here, because he'll fix me up as good as new. I told you about Ratchet didn't I? He's our Chief Medical Officer, and he's the best Medic on Cybertron. If he can't fix it, then it can't be fixed by anyone, and this is nothing for him to fix. He'll have this fixed in almost no time flat, because he's the best medic there is. He can be grouchy though, not like Optimus. Optimus is our leader, and you'll really like him, but then, everybody likes Optimus because he always knows how to do what's right." Bluestreak told her.

Amber smiled and let out a huge sigh of relief when the Autobot started his normal rambling again, and she hoped that Bluestreak was telling her the truth this time.

"So, what are we going to do now?" Amber asked curiously.

"Well, I thought that we'd try to locate someplace that will provide some protection and shelter from those electrical discharges. Does that happen a lot on this world? That seems like it would be an awfully dangerous feature to have. We didn't have dangerous occurrences like that on Cybertron. Sure there were things that were dangerous, but there wasn't anything that would just show up completely at random and start wreaking havoc the way your world does. But then, your world has a lot of interesting things on it, like that right there. What do you call that creature? I haven't seen one of those before." Bluestreak asked while pointing with his left hand as he walked along.

Because of the distance from any major city, and the thick cover of storm clouds the darkness was so complete that Amber couldn't see her hand when she held it up to her face, and she certainly couldn't see where the mech had been pointing.

"I don't know Bluestreak. I can't see anything except your eyes, and a little bit of your nose." Amber replied honestly.

"You can't see in the dark? Well, I don't suppose that you could, without having some type of sensor unit, but then it would be kind of difficult to build something like that for an organic lifeform. That would be something for Wheeljack to figure out, because he's good at things like that. You'd have to be careful though and get it tested first, because a lot of his inventions tend to explode the first time he tries them. I'm sure he doesn't mean for things to explode like that, but I don't think it's something that he can help. I mean I certainly wouldn't want anything that I'd worked hard to build to explode the first time I tried it, and I don't think anyone else would either. I could understand that happening if it was meant to explode, but most of the things that Wheeljack builds aren't supposed to blow up." Bluestreak said after turning on the headlights of his alt mode so that Amber could see something besides his optics.

Bluestreak figured that since he couldn't use his alt mode that it would be best if he looked for a place that was not only out of the way, but somewhere that offered some shelter as well. With the exception of the light show going on in the sky, there really wasn't that much for them see; after all, you see one tree in a forest of them and you've seen them all. With one rock very much like the next, there was nothing to comment on in regards to the scenery, so the two were spending their time getting to know more about one another.

Bluestreak had gone about a quarter mile around the massive stone structure when he froze as a tree not far ahead of them was struck by lightning. The bolt of lightning had split the tree down the middle, and one half of it was starting to burn. Neither of the unlikely pair spoke a word for nearly a full minute as they watched the tree burn with small sputtering flames. Finally Bluestreak walked closer to the burning tree to get a better look at it.

"Wow! I'm glad that wasn't me that got hit by that lightning. That would have fried every system I have, and it certainly wouldn't have been too healthy for you. I wish there was some way to turn that off, but it seems to happen completely at random. If I were the one in charge of designing a planetary system I would not have included something as dangerous and random as lightning. Do you know if there's someplace else near here that we can go to get away from all this lightning?" Bluestreak commented worriedly.

"I wish I did know of a place Bluestreak, but I've never been here before, and I don't like the lightning either. Hey! Can you put me down for a minute?" Amber said excitedly as she spotted something under the still burning tree.

The mech bent down to let the girl climb out of his hand, and as soon as she was close enough to the ground; Amber jumped out and ran over near the tree. Bluestreak watched as the girl picked up three of the creatures that had taken shelter under the tree prior to the storm. He saw that Amber ignored the half dozen avian creatures that were similar to the one he'd seen at the rest stop in favor of something that was somewhat larger and covered in some type of fur. When he saw her pick up the creatures, curiosity prompted the mech to scan them, and finding them to be dead aroused his curiosity even more.

"Those are the same type of creature that I saw earlier; can you tell me what they are? You do know that they're dead, don't you? What would you want with something that's already dead, is there something that you plan to do with them? Do you think it's safe to stay here this long, what if that lightning hits again? Don't you think it might come back, after all it already destroyed that tree, and I think it even killed those creatures you've picked up." Bluestreak said in a tone that went from interest to worry.

Amber started to giggle as she kept looking around on the ground for something.

"Well, Bluestreak, these are called rabbits. I know they're dead, and if I can find a couple of small rocks, I'm hoping that I can smash one of them so I can get a sharp edge and clean these rabbits. After that I can cook them on that burning tree, and have something to eat. Papa Steve used to tell me that you can usually get at least one usable edge out of a rock by smashing it, but he didn't tell me what kind of rock, and since I don't have a knife I need to use a rock." Amber replied answering most of the Autobot's questions. "Oh and don't worry about the lightning hitting here again, they say that lightning never strikes the same place twice. So, we should be safe here."

"Oh. Okay then, as long as I don't get hit by that lightning; I wouldn't like that very much. Now, I don't have a knife, but I do have a plasma blade; not that I've ever really used it. Well, except during training exercises, but that's only because I need to know how to fight with it. I can't let you use it because even if I could take it off; it would be much too heavy for you to lift, let alone actually use, but if you'll tell me what to do, I might be able to clean them for you. Just how do you clean something with a sharp edge anyway? That doesn't make any sense to me. If I were going to clean something, I'd use a cleanser or some type of solvent." Bluestreak replied while activating his plasma sword.

Amber's stare was a mixture of awe and admiration as she looked up at a massive weapon that was almost as wide as she was tall. It was one thing to watch giant robot like machines fighting in her anime DVDs, but it was another thing entirely to see something like that in real life.

"Wow. Bluestreak! That is huge! But I don't think it will work for cleaning rabbits. It's just way too big. It does look really cool though. What will it cut?" Amber exclaimed softly.

"Oh this will shear through just about anything: with a plasma charge along the surface it will cut through armor or just about any type of metal you can name. I'm sorry that this won't help you Amber, but I just don't have anything smaller. But then with my specialty no one would think that I'd evenhave a use for this one, and I really _don't_ have a use for it, but I do have it just in case I ever do need it." Bluestreak explained.

Amber nodded her head as she went back to looking for a pair of rocks that she might be able to break. Having been abandoned at the rest stop shortly after noon; it had been quite a few hours since she last eaten and she was not only hungry, but unwilling to give up her chance at a meal easily. Suddenly Amber looked up at Bluestreak as an idea finally struck her.

"Hey Bluestreak? If your sword will cut metal, do you think it can cut rock too?" Amber asked hopefully.

"Oh sure! Cutting rock would actually be easier than trying to cut metal. But, why would you want to cut a rock? Oh. _Oh_! You think I might be able to use my plasma sword to carve a rock into a sharp edge that you can use! That should work, but I've never tried anything like that before, so I don't think it will be a very good knife, and certainly not something to be proud of. But I can sure give it a try. And you never did tell me how you clean something with a sharp edge, so I'd still like to know how you plan to do that." Bluestreak answered as he caught on.

"Well, first you have to cut it open and take out the guts, and then cut the skin off. After that, you can cook them, and have them for dinner, and that's how you clean a rabbit, deer, or fish."

Bluestreak wasn't too sure he liked the implications of what Amber had just told him, but since she seemed to know what she was doing, he thought it was best to just go along for the ride.

It took the mech several tries to come up with a basic design that Amber would be able to use and several more tries to actually produce a rock that was carved in a shape similar to an Alaskan Ulu knife commonly used by the Eskimo Indians. It hadn't been very easy for Bluestreak to work with the small size that Amber would be able to use, so after several failed attempts, he finally began carving out the basic shape on the end of a fairly large shaft of rock and then cut off the piece that Amber would actually be using. It was crude, unwieldy, and horrendously ugly, but Amber couldn't have been happier.

By the time she had finished skinning the first rabbit, her stomach was growling in anticipation of the coming meal. Talking with Bluestreak helped her take her mind off of her hunger while she worked, she told him how to cut up the tree so that it would burn longer and be usable for her to cook on, and an hour later she had three rabbits on spits and sizzling merrily.

After setting the rabbits to cook, Amber began looking for a puddle of water to wash some of the gore off her hands. She managed to find two puddles: one in a shallow depression on a rock, and the other on the ground. Washing her hands in the one on the ground made the water a little muddy, but it was better than nothing, and Amber had decided to use the other puddle to drink out of after she ate.

Amber was more than a little grossed out by having to drink off of a rock, but with no cups and nothing else available she had no choice. It was drink like an animal, or go thirsty.

Amber placed the half eaten remains of the third rabbit near the fire to stay hot, so she could try to finish it later. Between two and a half rabbits, and several handfuls of water, Amber was full.

"So, is that what all humans consume for fuel? It seems kind of inefficient to me. But then, it does make sense that an organic lifeform would need an organic source of fuel. I couldn't help but notice that what you just consumed doesn't resemble the same supplies that I've seen other humans consume. Are there different types of fuel available, or is this just something that you're making do with?" Bluestreak asked as he sat down to watch the fire.

Amber shivered just a bit.

"What do you mean 'fuel'?" Amber asked in confusion while scooting closer to the fire.

"Well isn't that what you call that stuff you consume? I mean if that's what keeps you supplied with energy, then wouldn't that be fuel? If you don't call it fuel, then what do you call it? Because that's what I would call it." Bluestreak replied.

Amber started laughing.

"It's called food and, well this isn't what I'd have eaten if I was at home, but it was pretty good and a lot better than nothing. And if it hadn't been for you, Bluestreak, I wouldn't have had anything to eat, because there's no way I could have made a knife like that. I don't know how to start a fire. I mean I've seen it done, but I've never done it. I'm just glad that they always made me do the cooking, so I at least know how to fix something to eat. I guess that's all they wanted me for: to play their stupid 'games', clean, and cook their food, and when I got too old for their 'games' they didn't want me anymore." Amber finished with a tone of sadness in her voice.

Bluestreak reached his right hand over and picked the girl up and cradled her gently in his hand as he spoke to her.

"I don't know what type of games you're talking about Amber, but it doesn't sound like you enjoyed them very much. I won't ever make you play a game that you don't like. I know I talk a lot, and a lot of the bots I know are always telling me that. Some of them don't like to be around me much because I do talk so much, but I can't help it because if I'm not talking to someone then I start to remember all the bad things that happened to me a long time ago, and I don't like to think about those things, and I don't like to remember them either." Bluestreak told her.

"Well, I don't mind you talking. If it helps keep you from feeling bad, then you go ahead and talk all you want; besides, I kind of like it. And you've been very nice to me, even after I hurt you by hitting on your door. I sorry that I did that to you, Bluestreak." Amber said as she looked up at him.

"That's okay, Amber. You were scared, and you were right to be scared. I'm just glad that I was here to help. I don't want to think about what would have happened if I hadn't been here to help you. Those humans should never have been allowed to be your caretakers. I don't know how much authority Optimus has here on your world, but I'll try to make sure that you don't end up in the care of anyone else like that." Bluestreak said sincerely.

Amber turned around in the mech's hand so that she was facing him. When she had her legs tucked to her right and her skirt properly tucked under her, she leaned on her left hand and looked down at her lap.

"They'll just want to get rid of me too." Amber whispered to herself thinking that once he was with his friends that Bluestreak wouldn't need, or even want, her around anymore.

Bluestreak looked down at the human sparkling in his hand and felt his spark clench in his chest. He knew that he'd been trapped for a long time with no other company than the mangled bodies of those he'd once known, but he knew that his caretakers had loved him while they had lived. Loved, cherished, taught, guided, and protected him. Bluestreak didn't know why she'd been rejected by those she'd lived with, nor could he understand how such a thing could happen. Back on Cybertron, adopting caretakers had been carefully screened and were even required to have their programming examined to ensure that they would be suitable custodians of a new generation. It was a well known and established fact that the process of spark birthing would dramatically increase the priority of the sparkling safeguard programs in those bots that might choose to reproduce that way.

For the first time since he'd been trapped among the twisted, sparkless, and mangled bodies of his friends, family, and neighbors; Bluestreak allowed himself to remember the terrible aching loneliness, the utter helplessness that he'd felt, the hopelessness of the whole situation, the spark wrenching fear of an unknown and uncertain future, and he realized that the human sparkling now sitting in his hand was experiencing those same fears. It was something that tore at his spark like a blazing jagged-edged plasma sword, but at the same time the Autobot also felt something hardening within his spark.

While caused by a totally different set of circumstances Bluestreak knew that this human whose life he had saved was feeling exactly what he'd felt so long ago. The only difference was that he'd been rescued by the Autobots and he had gladly joined their cause to show his appreciation for what they had done. Their rules, laws, morals, beliefs, and even the very principals by which they lived and functioned showed the entire universe what type of bots they were. Bluestreak knew that here, now, on this strange backwater planet out near the forgotten edge of the galaxy, had come his chance to truly repay the debt that he owed to the Autobots as a whole. He knew that what he had in mind would not be easy to fulfill: there were too many unknown factors involved. Would Optimus allow it? Would the human authorities allow it? Could arrangements be made to allow it? Would his fellow Autobots accept his decision? And finally, would Amber herself accept such a decision?

Bluestreak didn't have the answers to any of these questions, and knew that he couldn't get any answers until the others arrived to retrieve him, but he knew deep in his spark that he had to make the request and put forth every effort he possibly could, to be allowed to keep Amber with him, to be assigned and granted the position of caretaker for this human sparkling. Bluestreak knew that anything less, would dishonor everything that he'd come to believe the Autobots stood for; dishonor everything that was embodied by the symbol he so proudly displayed on his shoulders, and that was something that Bluestreak knew he couldn't do.

It hurt the mech that he couldn't tell Amber about his decision without raising potentially false hopes, but Bluestreak knew that should he fail at what he had in mind, it might prove to be devastating to the girl, and he wasn't going to let her go through that when she didn't have to. Far better that she never know of his request until it was decided one way or the other.

"I'm sorry Amber. I know that things aren't going very well for you right now, but I'm hoping when my friends arrive, that we might be able to do something to help. I just don't know anything about the laws or customs of your world. Without knowing those I don't know if there's anything I can do or not." Bluestreak told her honestly.

"That's okay. I don't think it matters anymore anyway. I don't even know what I did that was so wrong that they wanted to get rid of me. I thought they loved me. They were always telling me that they did, but now they want me dead. Am I that bad Bluestreak?" Amber asked plaintively.

Bluestreak pulled the girl to the right side of his chest, away from the slow energon leak on the left side of his abdomen which he thought might be dangerous to her, and held her there while he spoke.

"I don't know everything about your situation. But I do know from what I heard them saying that _they_ are the ones who have done something wrong. I don't know what it is, but they think that you do and that's why they wanted to kill you. I told you that I wouldn't let them hurt you, and I didn't. I still won't, Amber. If they come back it will be the worst mistake they can make.

"I know Optimus doesn't want us to harm any humans, but I don't think he ever imagined something like this happening. If they come back I'm not sure what I'll do, but I know that I won't be satisfied with scaring them! You were in their care. You relied on them for guidance, and protection from the dangers in life until you learned to cope with things on your own."

"That is the way it's supposed to be; that what a caretaker's job and role is. Not to kill or frighten the young that is entrusted to you. I don't know what went wrong with them, but I don't think there is anything wrong with you, because _you_ didn't do anything wrong. I'm sure of that Amber, and if they don't want to be your caretakers anymore, then that is their loss and my gain, because I like you. I want to make sure that you're safe."

"No: I'm _going_ to make sure you're safe! Optimus said that we're here to protect your world, and that means protecting you too, Amber. I won't let anything hurt you and I don't know why, but just the thought of something happening to you just scares me right down to my spark." Bluestreak explained with mixed emotions that went from sympathy to outright anger.

Amber shifted her position until she was leaning back against Bluestreak's chest armor. His armor had been heated by both the fire and his own internal systems; so, as far as Amber was concerned; he was nice and warm. Being comfortably full, warm, and safe for the time being did nothing to ease the fears and heartache that plagued the girl's mind.

Emotionally, Amber couldn't have been much worse off. She was full of so many mixed up and jumbled feelings that she couldn't begin to sort them all out. Sure Bluestreak had told her that he would help her, and he had. He'd even gotten hurt while helping her. What Amber didn't understand was why. She was sure that he wanted something from her; he _had_ to! That was the way things were. Every time her Papas had bought her something they had always demanded one of their stupid 'games' in return.

It didn't really matter what Bluestreak told her. The words he said were only words; words that had no impact on the brutal truth that had torn her world and heart into pieces. Words could do nothing when everyone she'd ever cared about, everyone who'd ever said that they loved her, had rejected her in the end. So many times her Papas had told her about how her parents had just given her away. So many times, they had proclaimed their love; which had now proven to be lies. So many times, they did things that hurt her; things that made her feel so dirty, horrible, and miserable inside.

Amber wasn't sure that she knew what love really was, or what it was meant to be, but she thought it was where you cared about someone enough that you didn't want to see them hurt. Thinking about the many times that she'd begged them not to hurt her anymore, she became sure that the men she'd been living with had always lied about loving her. Amber was thinking about all of this as she rested against the chest of the mech holding her. Even as stressed as she was, Amber was soon fighting to keep her eyes open.

The strong, steady, rhythmic pulsing of the Autobot's spark in his chest wasn't something that Amber paid any attention to, but subconsciously, she was aware of it. The sound was much like that of a heartbeat. The sound wasn't loud at all. It didn't need to be because from the moment of conception there was one undeniable constant in an unborn child's life: the never-ending sound of the mother's heart. It was a sound that always meant many things to the developing life nestled in the carrier's womb. Safety, security, love, protection, and even life itself, and even though neither Amber nor Bluestreak was aware of it, those subliminal messages were still being conveyed to her.

Seeing that Amber had gotten into a comfortable position, Bluestreak began running various diagnostic routines on his systems. He knew that most bots tended to want to relax after filling their tanks, so he wasn't at all surprised that Amber had gone somewhat quiet after consuming her improvised fuel.

Focusing on his regenerative systems, Bluestreak could see that his condition wasn't as bad as it looked. Sure, his armor was pounded into near scrap, his transmission mounts were damaged, and his long range communication system was offline. The slight energon leak was slowly being taken care of by the nanite repair systems, so that wouldn't be a concern for much longer, even though that portion of his energon line would still be weaker than normal for another day or two. The surprise was that the leak might even be sealed before Ratchet and the others arrived. All in all, it could have been much worse, and he still had his mobility in standard mode so things weren't quite as bad as they seemed at first glance.

Bluestreak was suddenly startled out of his diagnostic mode by a sudden strange sound emerging from Amber. A scan of the young human revealed a state of relaxation. Nearly every muscle in the girl's body was limp; her entire body seemed to be functioning at a greatly reduced rate. Pulse, respiration, and blood pressure were lower than what Bluestreak had found to be normal based on previous scans of the girl.

As soon as Amber inhaled, Bluestreak found the source of the strange noise: it was being caused by a section of soft tissue at the back of Amber's mouth that would rattle during each inhalation. Bluestreak wasn't positive on whether this disturbing sound was normal or not, but he made sure to record both the sound and his sensor readings to discuss with Ratchet later.

Fairly certain that Amber was in the human version of recharge; Bluestreak returned his attention to his diagnostics. Examining each of his systems in detail revealed that his short range communication system was receiving an almost unfathomable multitude of signals coming in. It was almost enough to overload his processors to try to sort them all out. He discovered that there were so many various frequencies, and modulations that he was sure that only Blaster would be able to keep track of them all. There were even coherent signals coming in on frequencies that were normally filled with static caused by stellar emissions!

Sheer curiosity made Bluestreak begin examining the wealth of signals that he was detecting. While most were strictly audio signals; there were many others that streamed constant video. Not really having anything else to do, and not wanting to disturb Amber from her recharge, Bluestreak began to sample the video signals to distract himself. Some of the programs were mildly interesting, some he had no interest in at all, some turned out to be in another of the myriad languages found on this world, and others turned out to be educational programs.

The Autobot could have kicked himself when he realized that if had he spent less time wallowing in his own misery, and more time doing what he should have done after his landing; that he would have discovered this much sooner.

Absolutely delighted by his discovery; Bluestreak began going through every signal he could find with a speed that only a Cybertronian would be capable of. He started making note of several dozen frequencies that captured his attention so that he'd be able to learn more about this world that he found himself on. Several versions each of National Geographic, Discovery, History, and even several of the children's versions ended up on the Autobot's list of channels to be explored and reviewed later. Bluestreak was like a child with a fabulous new toy. The more frequencies he searched; the more he found, and he learned that these humans called them 'channels', and gave each of these channels specific designations for easy reference.

There were basically two sets of signals that Bluestreak was examining. The first set was originating from various points stationed on the planet itself; while the second set of signals were originating from a point in orbit. Most of the planet side signals were audio communication; while the orbital signals were mostly visual in nature. It was while he was exploring the orbital signals that Bluestreak found something else.

It was a lightly encrypted data link. Idle curiosity prompted the Autobot to decode the encryption, and suddenly, just like that; Bluestreak found the internet. He didn't have any of the human designed software that was normally used to browse through the internet, but that wasn't really a deterrent to Bluestreak since he was easily able to write one up for himself. His own Cybertronian browser wouldn't work because it was far too complex and advanced for such a simple network. But he was still able to make do with the simple program that he'd written. He discovered that the human built network wasn't anywhere near as well designed, or as well organized, as the massive data net that had once spanned and connected the entire world of Cybertron, but then it really didn't need to be since it wasn't needed for even a fraction of the uses to which the natives of Cybertron had put their network.

Bluestreak realized that he now had a mass of informational wealth sitting right at the edge of his processors, and he fully intended to take advantage of it. He started out with simple geographical information about where he was, and the type of culture that he could expect. From there he began looking for information on humans so he could learn more about them, and their children so that he could learn more about Amber.

Starting with basic anatomy, Bluestreak was amazed at just how similar human bodies were to Cybertronian frames. Granted, the organic tissues and organs often performed multiple functions, but there were still many similarities. The human circulatory system performed much the same function as energon lines. While human blood acted much like energon itself. Just as energon provided power and energy to various systems; blood carried oxygen and nutrients to organs to provide those tissues with the energy they needed to operate properly. Different materials and composition, but performing the same functions.

The Autobot was aware that the material he'd pulled up was only basic information, but that provided him with the knowledge he needed for more in depth searches. It was while studying the effects of puberty that he looked up reproduction and sex.

That is when it happened. It was like something out of one of those old horror holos he'd heard about. Three point nine million pop ups began appearing in his HUD within less than a tenth of a second; with tens of thousands more incoming! Bluestreak tried to close them all down, but it was no use. For every unwanted web site that he closed; anywhere from fifty to a thousand more were opened. In mere seconds; Bluestreak was bombarded with more than twelve million pornography sites!

Bluestreak couldn't help but notice the various disgusting images that were plastering themselves into his vision. Everything from two or more females, all the way up to humans using what _had_ to be some type of torture device! It was horrifying in the extreme, and even more disgusting, and in sheer desperation Bluestreak did the only thing he could think of. He killed the power to his short range com system. Instantly the unwanted images and web sites vanished from his HUD. In what sounded suspiciously like a sigh of relief, Bluestreak blew over heated air from his cooling vents and tried to calm his over-wrought processors.

For nearly ten minutes, Bluestreak sat there as he tried to figure out what could have caused such an assault on his processors. He was sure that he'd done something wrong, but he couldn't figure out what it was. Half an hour later, Bluestreak finally decided that it was just one more thing he'd have to ask the others about when they arrived to get him.

With nothing else to do the Autobot settled himself a little more comfortably to prepare for a recharge session. Amber shifted position in his right hand, and that drew his attention once more to the girl resting there.

Bluestreak watched in silence as she curled up on her side without waking up. Even as he watched the girl sleep; Bluestreak felt the light tap of a single drop of water impacting on his shoulder. That first drop was soon followed by another, and Bluestreak did the only thing he could think of to protect Amber from the elements. He cupped his left hand over her to form at least some shelter from the rain, and once he saw that it would work he locked his joints and hydraulics, and joined Amber in getting some rest.

_**Author's notes:** Please, let me know what you think in a review. Even if you don't review, this fic will continue!_


	3. Chapter 3

Alone Nevermore 3

_**Author's Notes:** Thank you in advance for the reviews. I will try to reply to each one as I get it._

A New Beginning.

As Amber began to wake up,the first thing she was aware of was that she was sleeping on something hard, and not in her own bed. Opening her eyes revealed not her own room, but instead a massive metallic hand holding her within its grasp.

Sitting up suddenly in surprise she hit her head painfully on something hard. With a hiss of irritated pain; Amber hunched down slightly and sat there rubbing lightly at her tender scalp while wincing the entire time. Once her head stopped hurting so much; she opened her eyes again and looked up to see what she'd hit her head on. It turned out to be a second large metal hand that was cupped over her to keep out the rain.

Just like that, Amber recalled the horrible events of the previous day. A moment of panic set in, until she realized that she wasn't trapped, or being held against her will. Once she realized that, Amber crawled to the edge of Bluestreak's hand and looked out at the world that she hadn't really been able to see the night before.

The dawning sun was shining brightly through the scattered clouds that hung in the sky. Looking at the tree that had been struck by lightning, Amber saw that the fire was long since out and was now nothing more than a wet, soggy mess. She could tell that it had rained some more after she'd fallen asleep in Bluestreak's hand because everything was still soaked, and dripping. A quick look at herself revealed what a sorry state she was in.

Her once blue knee-length skirt was now dirty and stained, as were her white knee-high stockings. Her white blouse was somewhat dirty and dingy, and she'd even lost one of the ribbons that she always used to keep her long sandy colored hair in a pair of pony tails. Her black patent leather shoes were scuffed and dirty. As far back as Ambercould remember she had never looked this bad, this filthy, and this unkempt in her entire life.

Repeatedly told how to act, how to dress, behave, and even told what mannerisms she should always use, Amber had tried to be exactly the type of 'lady' that her Papas had wanted her to become. She'd learned to make their coffee just the way they liked it: rich and strong. To learn to cook the kinds of food they preferred to call 'man food' which meant roast beef, pot roast, chili, and beef stews for dinner. Bacon, eggs, sausage and pancakes for breakfast. Hamburger Helper and country fried steaks for lunch, and thick multi layered sandwiches for snacks while they watched their sports on TV.

She'd learned to be a prim and proper little lady for them: cooking, cleaning, and not fighting them during their often painful 'games'. Now she was reduced to looking like this. Tears formed in the girl's eyes as she saw just how messy she looked. Never for as long as she could remember had she ever looked like this.

Wrinkled, stained, and dirty clothes weren't something Amber had ever worn. Pride in her ladylike appearance was something she'd always had, and now she realized that even that had been taken away from her. What she considered to be her family, her home, her room, her clothes, her appearance, and even her self esteem had all been taken away from her. They had even tried to take her life away from her.

The injustice, ignominy, and indignity of it came rushing in like an out of control freight train: indivertible and unstoppable. The worst part of it all was that she still didn't know exactly why they had done this to her. But even as the tears began to slide down her cheeks, Amber knew that she couldn't sit around feeling sorry for herself: it hadn't helped yesterday, and she knew that it wouldn't help her today either.

Looking back out at the rest of the world made it hard for her to believe that everything could look the way it did. A bright golden sun was rising in a pure sapphire blue sky dotted with huge puffy white clouds. Various birds were singing loudly and happily in trees that seemed as if they would stand forever, the air smelled clean and fresh, and nothing she saw gave any indication that it was only yesterday when her life as she had known it, had been torn apart.

Amber shook her head as she made a determined effort to think about something else, such as what she was going to do about breakfast.

She didn't even need to look around to know that a well-stocked kitchen, or any kitchen for that matter, was not in her near future. Peering over the edge of Bluestreak's hand convinced Amber not to try getting down on her own: even though Bluestreak was sitting on the ground, he was still big enough that his hand was being held higher above his lap than she was willing to jump.

With getting down out of the question, Amber moved back to the middle of the large hand and sat with her legs crossed under her. With each knee resting on the opposite ankle, she decided to try to do something with her hair. She untied the blue ribbon and laid it in her lap while she tried running her fingers through her hair in the absence of a comb.

Without a comb, brush, or mirror she did the best she could as she pulled her hair back and gathered it into a bunch near the top of her head. Holding her hair in her right hand, she reached down with her left, got her ribbon, and began setting it in a bow to hold her hair. Satisfied that she'd done what she could about her appearance, Amber figured that she ought to see how Bluestreak was doing.

"Good morning, Bluestreak. I'm sorry I fell asleep on you last night." Amber called out trying to sound more cheerful than she felt.

Concerned after receiving no answer from the Autobot, Amber started to wonder if the bullets might have hurt him more than he admitted. Amber waited another few seconds before she began moving carefully up Bluestreak's wrist. Once she was on the mech's arm there were plenty of places to grab on to, but she still had to be careful on the uneven surface that was made up of many different parts that she couldn't identify. For the first time Amber was able to get a good look at just what had saved her life the night before, and she had a hard time believing that all of it had actually happened. She couldn't deny the evidence that was right in front of her eyes though, and she didn't even try.

She wouldn't have to start climbing up until she reached the elbow, and with the way that Bluestreak was sitting, she could see that making that climb was going to be more than a problem. So far, she'd been more crawling than climbing across the forearm, and when she did get to the elbow she began to have doubts about climbing further because of the wet surfaces.

Bluestreak's automated systems had instantly detected the movement in the mech's palm and conducted a sensor sweep of the surrounding area, but detecting nothing that might be considered a threat those systems shut down again. Even though she wasn't aware of it, every time that Amber began moving around, she was coming closer to activating enough sensors to bring the mech out of recharge. Having decided that she wasn't going to climb any higher, Amber began calling the mech's name.

Bluestreak came out of recharge to the sound of a tear-filled voice calling his name repeatedly. As he activated his optics, Bluestreak scanned his hands where he'd left the girl and was surprised to find that she wasn't there. The Autobot quickly unlocked his hydraulics and joints and lifted his left hand to check visually, but still no Amber. Then, he heard her call his name once more. Looking towards the source of the sound, Bluestreak saw that she was standing on his right arm trying to get his attention.

Bluestreak glanced back and forth from Amber to his empty right hand about three times before he focused on the girl.

Bluestreak saw the tears slowly making their way down the girl's cheeks, and was instantly scanning her. With the general information that he'd been able to glean from the internet, he knew that she hadn't re injured herself, but that there was still something wrong as evidenced by her crying.

"What happened? They haven't come back have they? I was sure that I'd scared them off for good, but then I don't know that much about humans so I can't be positive on that one. You aren't hurting anywhere are you? I sure wish Ratchet were here. I'll bet he knows exactly how to take proper care of a young human like you. I'll be sure to ask him about that when he gets here. So why are you over here instead of still in my hand? I'm glad that I locked my hydraulics during the last night cycle; otherwise I might have injured you by moving when I came out of recharge, and if that had happened I'd _really_ be wishing that Ratchet were here. I told you about Ratchet didn't I?" He said as he looked down at her.

"You told me he's a medic. Are you okay? I thought that there might be something wrong with you when you didn't answer me. Are you _sure_ you're okay?"

"I'm fine. Well, not exactly. My transmission will still need to be fixed before I can drive anywhere, and my alt mode still looks like I'm ready for the scrap yard, and I'm sure that Ratchet is going to yell at me for nearly destroying my transmission mounts, but then maybe he won't be too angry after I explain what happened. I just hope that Optimus will know how to help you. You'll like Optimus, but then everyone does, well, except for the Decepticons, but I don't think they like anyone; at least, not so you'd be able to tell. But then, I'm certainly not going to allow you anywhere near them to ask and find out. That recharge really did me a lot of good, even that energon leak has stopped." Bluestreak said as he picked Amber up with his left hand, and lifted her up to move her away from his joints so she wouldn't be crushed if he moved his arm.

"So what are you doing on my arm anyway? Did you get enough recharge time? I tried to keep as much of the rain off of you as I could, but without being able to use my alt mode, I wasn't sure it would work, but I'm glad it did." He said in concern.

Amber looked the mech in each of his optics one at a time since he was just too big to look in both of them at the same time. There was something about what he'd said that made her think.

"Is recharge kind of like going to sleep?"

Bluestreak reviewed the information that he'd managed to get from the human internet before he'd had to kill the connection.

"That's exactly what it is. Recharge allows our systems down time to avoid processor and memory core failure. It also helps replenish our energy levels a little and give our spark a period of rest. It revitalizes us." He told her after thinking about it for a second.

"Oh. Then I'm sorry I woke you up." She apologized.

"That's okay Amber, I would have emerged from recharge fairly soon anyway..." Bluestreak began when he picked up something on his sensors.

The Autobot unlocked his joints and quickly stood up, but stayed low as he moved towards the trees. "Amber, would you mind being quiet for a few minutes? There are some other humans coming and I can't let them see me."

"Is... Is it...?" Amber started to ask worriedly.

"No. It's not the ones who left you. At least I don't think it is, unless they brought some friends, and they don't have any of those weapons that they used on me last night. So, I'm pretty sure that it's not the same ones, but I still can't let them know about me. Ratchet and the others should be here sometime today, so hopefully we won't have to hide out for too much longer." Bluestreak said easily.

A strange expression crossed the Autobot's features as he stopped, turned around and stood up to his full height, looking back the way they'd come.

"What's wrong?"

"Do you know of any reason why they would try to climb that structure?" Bluestreak asked in a puzzled but concerned tone.

"What do you mean?"

"They are bantering about climbing the Devil's Tower, and making jokes about each others climbing skill." Bluestreak replied confused.

"Oh! They must be rock climbers. They find cliffs, mountains, and things like that to climb for fun. I don't get it, but a lot of people like doing it enough that if there's a big enough rock anywhere around, then they'll climb it."

"Oh." Bluestreak said as he turned and continued moving a fair distance away from the Tower while looking for a place to wait for the recovery team that wouldn't leave him open to possible exposure to other humans. The rock climbing didn't make any sense to him, but then they _were_ organic beings.

Moving in a crouch, the Autobot had covered just over half a mile when he came to a small clearing next to a dirt road that led to various trails used by off roaders. It was in good condition, and was obviously maintained by a fairly skilled crew, since there were no ruts or pot holes in it. The surrounding trees made for excellent cover, if he needed it, so Bluestreak decided that this would be a good place to wait, especially since he'd have plenty of advance warning of any approaching vehicles.

Stepping over to one of the trees, Bluestreak sat down and made himself comfortable. He was worried about Amber, because he knew from the information he'd gathered on humans, that she needed three nutritionally balanced meals each day to maintain proper health and energy levels. He also knew that she hadn't received such the previous night, and now she was being forced by circumstances to skip what was purported to be the most important meal of the day. His thoughts on the girl were interrupted by her voice.

"Hey Bluestreak. Can you let me down for a minute? I need to be excused."

"Why? What happened? Is something wrong?" He asked concerned.

Amber gave an embarrassed giggle. "Well, not really. I just need to visit the ladies room, and since there's not one around, I'll um... have to go behind a tree."

The Autobot was very puzzled by the girl's statement until he scanned her. The results showed that her bladder was full and probably should have been emptied earlier. Moving his right hand to ground level, Bluestreak let her down.

"Sorry. I'm not really used to dealing with humans yet, Amber."

"I know what you mean. I've never seen a real robot before. They have them in the anime, and Hentai shows that I watch, but you're real, not just something out of a TV show." Amber replied as she eased herself out of the mech's hand.

Bluestreak watched as the girl moved towards a tree to his right and somewhat behind him. Then he deliberately instructed his sensors to ignore her bio readings for ten minutes to give her some privacy while she expelled her waste.

Amber wasn't unfamiliar with roughing it, since she'd done it lots of times while hunting and camping with her Papas. She wasn't thrilled about it, but she was able to make the best of the situation. She wrinkled her face in disgust as she thought about the gross mess her Papas had made of her. She vowed to herself that as soon as she had access to a tub, she would take the longest hottest bath that she could stand and still enjoy. She hated the fact that they hadn't even allowed her to clean herself up before they'd tried to get rid of her.

She finished her business and covered up the muddy mess the way she'd been taught so that animals wouldn't be scared away from the area by her scent. Stepping out from behind the tree, Amber couldn't help but take a good long look at the Autobot she was currently sharing companionship with.

He wasn't standing up, but she could still see that he was a very tall robot. She saw some kind of missile or rocket launcher on his left shoulder, and realized that he had at least two weapons that he could have used last night. As Amber thought about this, she came to the conclusion that Bluestreak didn't like to fight. Between the weapon on his shoulder and the huge sword she'd seen, Amber was sure that Bluestreak could have killed her Papas, but instead, he'd chosen to take her and run.

Bluestreak hadn't acted the way someone would if they liked to fight, that was something Amber knew for certain. After all, Bluestreak had even gotten hurt when he was trying to scare her Papas away. She looked at the ground as a feeling of shame over whelmed her, and as she looked at the mud that was everywhere, she realized that he'd even stayed out in the rain while keeping her nice and dry. Her mouth quirked in shame and embarrassment as she thought of just how much she owed the Autobot. She knew how her Papas would have wanted her to settle that score, and Amber fervently wished that she wouldn't have to do those things anymore.

Looking back up at the Autobot, Amber could see that some of the parts on him were bent in places that she was sure they shouldn't be. She was sure that the front bumper wasn't supposed to curve out like that. She'd be the first to admit that she didn't know anything about cars, or much about actual robots for that matter, but she was still pretty sure that Bluestreak was a little more banged up than he'd let on.

Looking closer, she saw that some of the car parts were bent in ways that showed some of the wires and hoses underneath them. As she thought about this, Amber realized that Bluestreak hadn't told her about how he'd gotten hurt in the first place, or just how badly he had been hurt. She could tell that there was damage that hadn't come from the guns of her Papas, and she became curious as to where it had come from, especially since he hadn't really said all that much about that damage.

She stepped closer to the Autobot and looked up at him. "Bluestreak, do... Do you mind telling me how you got messed up like that? I... I'll understand if you don't want to talk to me about it."

Surprise was written all over the Autobot's face as he leaned to the side and picked the girl up. "Oh, I don't mind telling you how I got injured. Why would you think that I'd want to keep that a secret? It's not like it's some kind of classified information or anything. I came down in the wrong place and crashed into the Devil's Tower. Hitting solid rock isn't much fun, and it causes a lot of damage to a lot of systems. I don't recommend ever doing that in the future, because it causes way too many problems. Not only do I have all this damage to deal with now, I also had more than a few problems helping you, and now I have to wait until everyone else gets here to see if I need help and wait for repairs on my frame. It's a lot more of a hassle than I really want to deal with."

Amber crossed her legs as she sat down in the Autobot's hand and looked up at him. "It sounds like you haven't had very good luck either." She said somewhat disgustedly.

"You're right about that. One minute, I'm coming towards Earth with the twins and Ultra Magnus, and the next; I'm hitting a thermal variance that tosses me _way_ off course. I've seen a lot of worlds, Amber, but I've never seen one quite like yours. You humans have very fragile frames, but you live on a world that is extremely dangerous. It's one of the things I don't understand. Earth is nothing like Cybertron. On Cybertron, we didn't have anything like lightning, or the fire that you used last night. There, everything was orderly, and very well organized, at least that's the way it used to be. I'm not too sure what things are like there now though, since I haven't been there in a very long time." He explained.

Time had passed. First, it was an hour, and then two. Amber had kept up a steady conversation with her new friend for another three hours so she could distract herself from both her hunger and thirst. She knew very well that Bluestreak had to stay hidden from other people, and last night's events had ensured that he couldn't change back into a car for her to go anywhere. Besides, it wasn't like she had any money on her, and she knew from both experience and from what her Papas had taught her that nothing was free, and she was not about to play any of their 'games' just so she'd get something to eat and drink.

For Amber, her hunger wasn't that much of a problem. Sure, she was really hungry by now, since she wasn't used to skipping meals, but being thirsty was a different matter altogether. She didn't complain because she didn't want to bother the Autobot with her problems, so she simply kept up a conversation, or rather, she would ask a question and let Bluestreak do most of the talking. The two of them whiled away the early morning hours, and before either of them realized it, it was nearly noon.

Bluestreak had been talking at his usual mile a minute pace and seeming to go on forever when he suddenly stopped talking, and stiffened. His human companion noticed immediately.

"What's wrong? Did something happen because of the bullets from last night?" Amber asked anxiously from her position in his right hand.

It was nearly a full minute before there was any reaction from her friend, and Amber started getting worried about him. Then he smiled widely and looked down at her.

"Amber, the Autobots are nearby and they'll be here in a few minutes. They just contacted me on my short range communication system. They've been in the area for a while but there are a lot of humans around. Apparently they don't really understand why humans like to climb things either. I gave Ratchet a copy of my diagnostics report and he's not happy with me. I knew he was going to be angry. I think he might hit me with that wrench of his. He usually saves that for the twins or other mechs that really bother him, but this time, I think he's going to use it on me. I really don't want him to hit me in the cranium with his wrench. But I know that if I try to run from him that he'll just throw it at me, and the worst part of that is that he never misses. He hits his target every time, and every time he throws it, his target is always someone's head. It's horrible!" Bluestreak told her.

Amber stared at her friend in surprise. He had started out in a nearly ecstatic tone that quickly changed to confusion before he started to nearly panic at the end of his statement.

"Do you think he'll get even madder if he finds out that I know about you?" She asked worriedly.

"I don't know, Amber. He might. Would you be willing to hide until he calms down a little? I don't want him to be angry enough to throw his wrench at you when he meets you. That wouldn't be very good. That wrench is almost as big as you are, and it would really hurt you, if it didn't kill you by squishing you really badly. I don't want that to happen to you because I don't think my systems could handle it if anything did happen to you." Bluestreak said anxiously.

Amber's eyes widened in surprise when Bluestreak described the infamous wrench that was a favorite implement of the 'Medic of Doom'.

"So, how long do we have before they get here, and where do you want me to hide?" She asked him nervously.

"They should be here in just a few minutes, since they were heading in the general direction of The Devil's Tower. They'll have to come down this dirt road from our left, so we'll know when they start getting close, because we'll be able to hear them coming. I think the best place for you to hide would be behind one of those trees, perhaps a little ways back in that group of them. They won't see you there, but if they use their scanners on the immediate area, then they'll know you're there right away, but I'm hoping that they won't be scanning anything except my injuries." Bluestreak told her hopefully.

"So, when do you want me to hide?" Amber asked uncertainly from her position in Bluestreak's hand.

"It shouldn't be for another few minutes Amber. I'm sorry that you'll need to hide, but I just don't know what else to do right now. Maybe if I knew more, and was better informed on the situation here, I might be able to do things without hiding you, but as it stands right now..." He trailed off as Amber nodded in understanding.

"You just don't want to make things any worse. Believe me, I know how that goes." Amber lamented understandingly.

"I'm sorry Amber. If I knew of another way, then I would definitely be using it. You shouldn't have to hide just because you need help. I know it's not right, but there also isn't anything I can do about it right now. Ratchet's not really mean; he just has a temper that gets out of control sometimes. He's really a very good medic, and if someone's injured or damaged then he doesn't let them stay that way. Unless it's Sunstreaker's paintjob. Then, he makes Sunstreaker deal with that himself. It's really strange. Sunstreaker is very proud of his appearance, and doesn't want anything messing it up, but somehow that's exactly what's always happening. I know Sunstreaker doesn't want that to happen. Just like Wheeljack doesn't want his inventions to explode. I know they don't want those things to happen, but those things do happen, and I don't think anyone likes that."

"No one likes to have a lot of hard work turn out to be worthless Bluestreak, and it doesn't matter what it is." She replied sagely. "I hate it when I've spent a lot of time drawing a picture, and then watch it get messed up for no good reason."

"I believe that. Does it take a lot of work to draw a picture? I've never tried art before so I wouldn't know, but it does sound very interesting. But then there are lots of things that are interesting, like some of the music that Jazz plays. I don't know where he gets it all from, but he must have music from hundreds of different worlds, and a thousand different cultures. I don't know how many worlds he's been to, but he's seen a lot. That's like Hound. There's no telling how many worlds he's seen, but I know there's been a lot. You wouldn't believe the number of animals that he's seen on those worlds. I don't know if he's here or not, but I know he'd like you, and that you'd like him. Even the Dinobots like Hound. Well, except for Slag. He doesn't like anyone much, except the other Dinobots, Wheeljack, and Ratchet. They cause a lot of problems sometimes, but I don't think they mean to do it. I mean, Grimlock is really big and incredibly strong, so he doesn't always realize just how strong he really is, and that's what gets him into trouble sometimes. I'm sure he doesn't mean to cause trouble, or get into trouble, but it just seems to happen that way. Do you know what I mean, Amber?"

"Getting into trouble is never fun. I've always tried to stay out of it, but it doesn't always work that way." She replied in a rueful tone.

"I hate to say this Amber, but you need to hide now, because they are a lot closer then I thought. I can hear them pulling onto this road now, and I know it's them, because they're showing up on my scanners." Bluestreak instructed her sadly as he set her on the ground.

"It's okay, Bluestreak. It's only for a few minutes." Amber replied as she headed a little ways into the surrounding trees to hide behind one of them.

Amber watched from behind a fairly large fir tree. She didn't have to wait very long before an ambulance pulled up. It was followed by a sports car, the cab of an eighteen-wheeler, a huge black truck, three motor cycles, and two more sports cars that looked really expensive. Her mouth fell open when two people got out of the yellow sports car and several soldiers got out of the black truck. As she saw this, she knew, just _knew_ that Bluestreak was going to be in trouble.

Ratchet rolled to a stop in the small clearing with the others following close behind him. As he waited for everyone to get out of their respective transports, he took a quick look at his patient. Almost immediately, the CMO's processors started to overheat. He transformed and walked over to where Bluestreak was just standing up.

"Shut up and don't say a single word until I get done!" Ratchet began angrily after he conducted a quick scan of the mech. "What in the slagging _pits_ did you think you were doing? Don't try to tell me that all of this was caused by you hitting some slagging rock in the middle of fragging nowhere!" He growled in an angry yell as he shut down all of the mech's pain receptors from the neck down.

Running a more precise and thorough scan, Ratchet detected the damage caused by the mech's high speed run the night before. He instantly pulled out his wrench and smacked Bluestreak on the top of the head with a loud clang. "I _know_ that you knew that your slagging transmission was damaged! (Clang!) So why don't you tell me why you felt that you had to make the fragging damage worse!" (Clang!) Ratchet said as he continued berating the mech while working on him at the same time. The medic punctuated each statement with a smack from his wrench.

From her hiding spot, Amber could see everything that was happening. Bluestreak had turned so the he was facing where she was hiding and the day glow green robot was standing in front of him, while yelling and hitting him with that wrench. After seeing her friend get hit who knew how many times because she hadn't bothered to keep count, Amber had had enough!

"I don't want to hear any slagging excuses either! There was no fragging reason for you to nearly destroy your slagging transmission like that!" Ratchet growled in a barely controlled roar. The medic drew back his hand and prepared to hit the mech again.

Clunk!

It was something so unusual, and so unexpected, that Ratchet's systems froze in disbelief. A split second later, the CMO was turning around to see what exactly had hit him.

Clunk!

The object impacted right on his chin! Automated systems had tracked the origin of the trajectory, and the CMO looked down at the source of the unexpected assault. A young girl with her sandy blond hair pulled into a pony tail wearing a dirt stained white long sleeve blouse and a blue knee length skirt that was also dirty was bending down to retrieve more rocks to use as additional ammunition! Ratchet stared with disbelieving optics at the single most unbelievable sight he'd ever seen.

"You leave him alone, you big bully!" Amber yelled angrily as she threw a third rock, which hit the medic on the grill of his front bumper.

Amber was about to throw another rock when she saw Bluestreak coming towards her. The mech tried to reach down to pick her up, but Amber was having none of it. She quickly sidestepped the outstretched hand and threw a fourth rock that hit the electric green ambulance robot in the chest.

"Amber, Amber! It's okay. That's Ratchet. He's our medic, and he was just doing repairs. He wasn't really hurting me. He's just mad at me for messing up my transmission last night." Bluestreak said comfortingly as he finally picked the girl up and held her close to his chest.

"Bluestreak!" Ratchet growled in a tone that was somehow far more dangerous and menacing than before. "Where did you get that girl, where are her parents, and _why_ isn't she with them? And you had _better_ answer my questions!"

"She was pushed out of a van at a rest stop, and it started raining really, really hard and she climbed into my cabin for a place to get out of the rain. Then the men who abandoned her came back to kill her, and I took her and ran to The Devil's Tower, which is the big rock over there that caused all my problems, and they chased us, and shot at her with their weapons. I tried to outrun them and get her away from them, but they wanted to kill her so bad that they kept chasing us. When I got to The Devil's Tower; I thought we could hide from them, but I heard them talking about how they were going to kill her and me both, so I scared them off by showing myself when the lightning would flash." Bluestreak said before he looked over at Sunstreaker and Sideswipe.

"You two would have been so proud of me! I used the flashes of lightning to appear and disappear like some sort of spirit from the Matrix! Then I think Primus helped us out a little, because the Tower started howling like the pit, and the lightning got even worse, and that's when they ran in fear of their lives! It was spectacular, and I even recorded the whole thing!" Bluestreak finished proudly.

Ratchet looked from Bluestreak to the girl in his hands and ran a cursory scan over the human. The scrapes on the girl's hands and knees were obvious, but that scan detected some internal scar tissue along with lots of bruising, along with some minor bleeding, and Ratchet's medical programs that were specifically for humans flashed a notice on his HUD that a deeper scan was indicated by that internal damage.

As the CMO conducted a complete scan of the girl, his optics widened in horror, and nearly every processor in his core began to approach dangerous temperature levels from overheating. So intense was the anger, outrage, and horror at the magnitude of the obscenity that his sensors were showing him, that he was physically unable to move or speak for nearly a minute.

"Ironhide, take Bumblebee, the twins, Sam, Col. Lennox and his team and check the entrance to this road. Mikeala, Optimus, and Arcee; I'll need you three to stay here. Don't ask any questions, just _do it_!" Ratchet ordered in a cold tone so filled with deadly intent that even Optimus was looking worriedly at the medic.

Ratchet stood there, trembling with unbridled rage as he waited for the dispatched team to leave audio range. He didn't want any of them hearing any of what was about to said regarding his discovery about the girl's condition.

"Bluestreak, you said that you had a recording. Do you have a recording of all of their actions and speech?" Ratchet asked in a barely recognizable voice.

"Yes." The mech answered softly, not sure what the medic wanted but not willing to become the focus of the rage that he could see radiating off of the CMO in visible waves of heat distortion.

"I want you to send those recordings to Optimus and Arcee, with a line of sight transmission and a command encryption so that no one else can decipher it. Do it now." Ratchet said in the same tone.

"Ratchet... What's going on?" Mikeala asked uncertainly.

"Is Bluestreak in trouble because of me?" Amber asked worriedly.

"I don't think so, Amber. I'm pretty sure that this is about something else. Just watch and listen for a while okay, and I'll explain everything after this is over." Bluestreak instructed her quietly as he sent the two his recordings and everything he knew about Amber as well, which included his conversations with her.

Amber nodded her head and focused on what was going on around her.

"No! Oh _Primus! No!_ How… how _could _they?" One of the Arcee triplets demanded in a hoarse whisper, even as the other two fell to their knees in shock.

The Autobot leader looked as if someone had tainted his energon with sulfuric acid before slowly crushing his spark in his chest. The powerful, commanding, and inspiring voice of the red and blue mech was so filled with pain and dread that it was almost unrecognizable as he said. "Please old friend; tell me that your scans do not confirm the type of molestation that those recordings indicate."

Ratchet turned to look in to the face and optics of his friend and superior officer. Part of his answer could be seen in his expression before he even spoke a word. "According to the readings, the damage is a cumulative result from several years of it." Ratchet said sadly, after finally realizing that without knowing where to find them, he couldn't get his hands on the perpetrators.

Mikeala stood there with shock written all over her face as she realized what her friends were talking about. A strong chill ran through her body as she felt her blood run cold and her hair stand on end, with a sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach. Then a strange, violent coldness settled itself in her mind. While she didn't know any of the details, she _did_ know that she wanted whoever was responsible to be caught, prosecuted, and most importantly, _convicted_ of their crime!

"Bluestreak, you didn't happen to record their faces did you? If you did then we can get that out to the police along with a proper report, and get them put in prison for what they did! Ratchet, we've got to make sure that everything is done according to the law. There can't be _any_ mistakes to let them get away with this." Mikeala said in a cold anger.

"I recorded their faces, and what they were saying, as they said it. Does that help? I thought that they might have been the ones to do something wrong, but I don't know what it was. What does 'molested' mean, and what does that have to do with why they were trying to kill Amber? Does this mean that I was right, and that Amber really _didn't_ do anything wrong?" Bluestreak asked in confusion.

The Blue Arcee triplet hastily pulled Mikeala away from the group and led her across the road. "Just let them talk this out, Mikeala. Bluestreak may not take this too well, and if this goes wrong, I want to make sure that you have some distance in case you need to run." The Blue Arcee triplet told her.

"Come on! He's an Autobot. He didn't hurt them, so he wouldn't hurt me would he?" Mikeala asked in surprise.

"Bluestreak? Are you at all familiar with human reproduction?" Pink Arcee asked softly.

"Yes. Unfortunately, I found the human internet last night, and I was looking up lots of things about humans in general, and about female children specifically. Then I looked up puberty, and reproduction. It was when I tried to find out about sex, that I got hit with more websites than I was able to close. Arcee, it was horrible! There were more than a million websites on my HUD, and more kept opening even faster than I could close them. So, I think I learned more about the act of human reproduction than I ever wanted to know. All I wanted to do was to be able to help Amber." Bluestreak lamented sadly.

"Then you know that Amber isn't physically ready for _any_ of what you saw on those sites. Molested means that she was forced into doing some of those things against her will." Pink Arcee said softly. "According to the recording you sent Optimus and I, those men wanted to kill her to cover up their heinous crimes, because from what Ratchet said, they've been doing that to her for several years." Pink Arcee said gently.

All of the power went out of the servo motors, and hydraulics in Bluestreak's legs, and the Autobot fell to his knees in shock. It was fortunate that his automated systems had reacted to absorb the jolt for his friend in his hands, because there were very few coherent thoughts available to him in that moment.

His processors whirled in a dazed state of confusion. _'How could anyone do such a thing? Why would anyone do such a thing?'_ That someone could be capable of _conceiving_ such a horrific act was beyond the imagination of the Autobot. But what made it worse, and forced it all into reality was that not only had someone conceived the idea, but they had also carried it out against his new friend. A nearly blank expression filled his faceplates as he quickly, but carefully reviewed everything that she and the men who'd tried to kill her had said. Suddenly, with crystalline clarity, it all clicked into place.

The 'games' Amber had mentioned with such obvious dismay, the way she no longer remembered her original last name because they had kept changing it, the way they had also changed her first name, and the way they had coldly spoken about their plans to kill her. Bluestreak suddenly knew that it was all in an effort to hide both their crime, and the sheer horrendous magnitude of it.

Metal lips quivered, even as tears of energon began to slide down his metal faceplates. He had been so proud of himself for following the instructions given by Optimus. He had been just as proud of himself for doing what he had known was right in protecting Amber, and scaring those men off.

He was wrong.

He had failed.

He had failed Amber. He had failed to do what was right. He had let those... Bluestreak was so angry at himself, and so horrified on behalf of Amber that his processors weren't able to come up with any type of insulting descriptive that was actually suitable for those men, but _whatever_ they were… he had let them escape.

Helplessly, he looked at each of his friends. Optimus, Ratchet, each of the Arcee triplets, Mikeala, and then finally down at Amber herself, who was looking back at him with a worried expression, and deep concern in her hazel eyes.

"I... I tried to do what was right, Optimus… I... I swear I did." Bluestreak mumbled sadly.

Amber sat frozen in shock as she finally realized exactly what they were talking about. They knew. They _knew_! All of those horrible games that her Papas had made her play with them, the things they had made her do, somehow they knew all of it. Never had she talked about it. Not with her teachers. Not with her school counselors. Not with anyone. She was so embarrassed, and so ashamed of those things, that she had _never_ wanted anyone else to know about any of it. What would they think of her? What would Bluestreak think of her? Would he even want to be friends with her now that he knew what she'd been made to do?

Mikeala was still following the Blue Arcee triplet away from where the others were talking. "Bluestreak may go mad, Mikeala. Think about how protective Bee is of you and Sam. That reaction might be somewhat stronger for Bluestreak with this type of situation, and we really aren't sure how he'll react." The Blue Arcee triplet said softly.

"But what about her? She's _got_ to be going through hell right now." Mikeala whispered back.

"I know. And you're going to need a clear mind if you want to be able to help her. I don't think this is going to be easy for any of us. Those men made blatant plans to kill her, and they didn't care in the slightest that she heard them. I think we'll all need to keep an optic on both her and on Bluestreak for a few days at least." The Blue Arcee triplet replied.

Mikeala nodded her head angrily and turned her attention back to the three bots and the girl.

Optimus stepped forward and laid his hand lightly on Bluestreak's shoulder. "You did what was right with the information you had Bluestreak. You followed my orders,_ and_ more importantly, you kept Amber safe. The fact that she is with us now, where she is safe from them, means that you acted in her best interests. I'm proud of you Bluestreak. There was no way that I or any of us could have predicted such events, but Amber is alive and here with us now, thanks to you."

"I'm sorry, Bluestreak." Amber said sadly before she turned to look at the other robots. "I... I'm the one who should be in trouble, not Bluestreak."

"You're not in trouble. Neither is Bluestreak. Mikeala can explain things to you when we start heading back to the base. Right now, I need to make repairs so he can transform and move in his alt mode." Ratchet reassured quietly.

Ratchet couldn't help but notice the forlorn expression on the girl's face, as she kept her gaze focused on her lap. Ratchet would have sworn that he could feel his spark shattering in his chest at the melancholy air of gloom that hung around her while she sat in Bluestreak's hands. He knew that he should divert her attention, but the question was; _how_?

Ratchet almost grinned as an idea suddenly occurred to him. "Bluestreak, I need you to give Amber to Arcee, so I can finish those slagging repairs." Ratchet ordered in a forced mimicry of his typical and usual grouchiness.

Ratchet had fully anticipated many of the possible reactions of the girl in Bluestreak's hands, and the old medic nearly found himself praying to Primus for one of the more hostile possibilities.

"_No!_ I want to stay with Bluestreak!" Amber yelled angrily as Bluestreak set her on the ground near the Pink Arcee triplet.

Ratchet could have smiled ecstatically when he heard one of the reactions that he'd hoped for. "I can't do repairs on his frame with you sitting in his slagging hands." He retorted instantly, while hoping that she still had some spirit left in her.

"Then I want to watch, and if you hit him again, I'm going to hit you with another rock!" Amber nearly yelled with tears in her eyes.

Ratchet knew then that Amber was fighting against her own torrential emotions to defend her friend, and that was good. Defiance would serve her well for now, at least until they managed to return to the base, where they could provide proper supervision, counseling, and care. He planned on making sure that her hostility was directed at him, but he knew that he still needed to be careful and not set Bluestreak off.

"Fine! Stand guard if you want. All I'm going to do is fix his energon lines and his transmission mounts. After that, he'll at least be able to transform and come with us back to the base." Ratchet spouted at the girl as she picked up a pair of rocks.

"Optimus go ahead and call the others back now. They can stand around and yak while I get Blue up and running again." Ratchet allowed.

"His name is _Bluestreak!_" Amber corrected angrily.

Ratchet huffed in seeming irritation but didn't reply to that. He needed some anger to keep her from settling into depression, but didn't want to overdo things. Some provocation would be necessary, but not enough to make her violent.

_(Arcee, please inform Mikeala that I fully intend to take her up on her suggestion. I would like her to ride with Amber and Bluestreak while we return to the base, but make absolutely sure that she knows the severity of the risk first, and see if she's still willing. I'll want both of you present when I perform a rape exam on Amber, because I don't think that she'll cooperate very well at all.) _Ratchet sent over the comm.

Blue Arcee started quietly explaining to Mikeala what would be needed of her, while Optimus sent a comm signal to summon the others from their lookout position at the end of the road.

Both the Purple and Pink Arcee units were keeping a close set of optics on Amber while she watched Ratchet like a hawk. Arcee noticed that each time the girl's attention would start to waver, or allow a sad expression to fill her features, that Ratchet would growl or huff angrily, which would snap the girl back into a state of hostility towards the medic. It wasn't a perfect plan of action, but it was one that was working to keep the girl's mind off her current plight.

"I still don't see why we all had to go stand guard at the end of the road. This slagging dirt is going to _ruin_ my wax job!" Sunstreaker groused as he rolled to a stop and transformed.

Bumblebee snickered softly at the yellow twin's antics as the front line fighter began to look himself over before Sam could even get out of the scout's cabin.

Ironhide let the soldiers exit and transformed silently, but the men who got out did his complaining for him.

"Okay, who wants to fill me in, since obviously nothing changed while we were gone to ostensibly stand guard." Col. Lennox demanded sourly.

Optimus sighed as his processors raced in an attempt to figure out exactly how to phrase what he was about to say. "Col. Lennox. Last night four human men assaulted Bluestreak using standard human firearms while attempting to kill Amber. Their motive was to hide their long term molestation of the girl. Bluestreak successfully recorded both their faces and their comments as they tried to carry out their actions. I will need you to act as a representative for us with your legal authorities for proper prosecution. Are you willing to do this for us?"

"Yo man! If he won't; I _damn_ sure will!" Sgt. Epps snapped immediately, cutting off anything his CO had been about to say.

William Lennox felt as if he'd just been sucker punched in the gut. He ran his right hand through his military length blond hair, and nodded his head. "Yeah... Sure... No problem, but next time… how about a little warning before you hit me with something like that?" He said heavily.

"I understand your position Colonel. This is very disturbing to all of us." Optimus replied.

"Disturbing? Oh _hell_ no! This a lot more than that! Those perverted bastards need to be put in front of a firing squad, and I'm volunteering!" Epps exclaimed.

"Those are my Papas you're talking about!" Amber screamed as she threw the rock in her right hand, which hit the man on the vest lined with Kevlar armor that Sgt. Epps was wearing.

Both Pink and Purple Arcee units immediately intervened, with the Pink Arcee triplet getting between Amber and her newest target.

"Amber, please just calm down. He's angry at them for what they did to you, and for trying to kill you. Besides, we don't even know where they might be, or how to find them. So nothing can happen to them." The Purple Arcee triplet said in an attempt to reason with the girl.

Arcee knew that Amber wasn't thinking all that clearly right now, or the girl would have thought of something happening in the future.

"Your name is Amber right? I'm William, but my friends call me Will. Look, if we do happen to run in to them, then we're going to do things legally, and by the book. That means they'll get arrested, and get a lawyer, before they go to court and see a judge. That's how things work. There won't be any shooting, and no one's getting killed, okay." Will began in a reasonable tone. "We're just going to stay here long enough for Ratchet to get Bluestreak fixed up enough so he can go back to the base with us. When he gets there, he'll get fixed up as good as new. I promise, and if you don't believe me just ask anyone here."

Obvious disbelief was written all over Amber's face as she looked at each of the Autobots, then at the men with Will, before she looked over at Sam and Mikeala.

"William is telling you the truth Amber. Ratchet never leaves anyone in the condition I'm in, and he doesn't kill other Autobots." Bluestreak reassured her.

"Ha! Please! If the Hatchet was gonna kill somebody, he woulda killed us a _long_ time ago!" Sideswipe interjected.

"Yeah, _especially_ after we painted him with that pink paint that glowed in the dark!" Sunstreaker said laughing.

Ratchet instantly whirled around to face to the two brothers. "Shut the slag up! I told you before; _No_ one is to know about that! _Ever!_ You hear me?" Ratchet growled as he brandished his wrench threateningly. "Or do you two want to end up in the brig again?"

"Hey! We did our brig time for that, so there's nothing you can do about it, _Hatchet!_" Sunstreaker growled smugly.

_(Perfect timing on this you two! This is exactly what the girl needs right now, but after this is over... don't _ever_ expect to get away with calling me 'Hatchet' again!)_ Ratchet sent over his comm system so that all of the nearby bots heard it.

A slow sly grin crept across two metallic faces as the twins received that message.

"Ratchet, you should know by now that those two are a lost cause. There is _nothing_ you can say to either one of them that will make them behave." Ironhide advised the medic.

Out of the corner of his eye, Will noticed Mikeala motioning them over to where she was standing on the other side of the road. A single nod of his head ordered his men to follow, and all of the soldiers started over to find out what she had to say.

"Arcee just told me that Ratchet is using his argument with the twins to distract Amber away from how she's feeling right now. Apparently the... _sick perverts_ that tried to kill her were the ones who were raising her too. Arcee thinks she might still love them in spite of everything they did to her." Mikeala told them softly enough that Amber couldn't hear any of it.

"So... what? You mean she'd try to cover for 'em or something?" Epps demanded.

"That's entirely possible. Psychologically, Amber's in a _very_ bad way right now. Part of her may still be in denial of her actual situation. If that's the case, then yes, she _would_ lie to protect them right now. On the other hand, given a little time to accept the reality, and some compassion rather than pity from all of you, and the rest of the Autobots as well, and she may have a chance at a somewhat normal life, once they are convicted. You should understand… they've been molesting her for years, changing her first name to Maigan, and constantly changing her last name, so she will have a lot of possibly conflicting emotions." Blue Arcee informed them quietly.

"Chinga madre pinche putas!" Sgt. Figueroa muttered angrily.

"Hey, I don't know what you just said, man. But I'm with ya!" Epps replied with angry enthusiasm.

"So, what exactly are we supposed to do right now?" Sgt. Romero asked bluntly. "It's not like we can hunt the bastards down."

"You're right. We can't! Keller would have our hides, and I doubt that Optimus would be very happy about it." Will replied.

There was an inarticulate grunt from Ironhide as he walked over to join them.

Sam heard everything that was being said, and a million and one questions were racing through his mind as he looked up at his friend and guardian. The look in the scout's optics and the expression on those face plates told him everything he needed to know. Bumblebee felt as bad as he did. Sam didn't say anything as the scout reached down, picked him up, and sat him on a large metal shoulder. He was both angry about what had been done to the girl, and at the same time hurt because he didn't know of anything he could say or do to make it better. The feeling of helplessness was overwhelming.

Bumblebee knew that his friend was miserable. That was all over Sam's face whenever he looked at him. A glance at the girl in question showed him that she was dividing her time between glaring at Ratchet and looking at Bluestreak with concern. He could see the Pink Arcee unit trying to comfort the girl by generally doing some mild fussing over her. The girl had moved away when Arcee had tried to rub her back in an effort to comfort her. Bee knew that there were others who were more skilled and knowledgeable in how to help the girl than he was, and that was no consolation at all. He knew how he felt, but for the spark of him; he couldn't even _begin_ to imagine how Amber felt. Torn in many directions at once, Bumblebee wanted to say something that would make her feel better. He wanted to do something to avenge what was done to her. He wanted to make this right somehow, but without the power to make it so that it had never happened, he was powerless to do anything, and that, more than anything else tore at his spark.

Focusing his attention back on the group of soldiers who were still talking to Mikeala and the Blue Arcee triplet, Bumblebee could almost _feel_ the wrath shared by each of them.

"Look, I got five kids. There ain't no way in _hell_ I can let something like this go. Those... They deserve a fate worse than we gave the Decepticons!" Epps griped.

"I know. I'd rather be outnumbered by those Decepticons ten to one, than face something like this. At least with being out numbered like that, I'd at least have an _idea_ of what to do." Will said grimly as he looked over at where Ratchet was closing up the bent armor on Bluestreak.

"Mikeala. Ratchet would like you to ride with Bluestreak and Amber when we head back to the base. I'll make sure to have all three of my frames close by in case you need anything. Amber has latched onto Bluestreak as a sort of protector, and I don't think that either one of them realizes that he is now her Guardian. He's going to be _extremely_ protective of her, possibly even more so than Bee has ever been with you or Sam. That means that separating them is going to be out of the question right now. We'll be traveling with our comm systems open at all times, so we can all talk to one another, but also so that we can monitor any changes in mood or temperament. During the trip, I want you to see if you can get her to open up some, possibly earn a little trust from her. I know that a lot is being asked of you right now, but you don't have to if you don't want to, and we'd fully understand if you choose not to take the risk." Blue Arcee told her.

"Mikeala no! It's too dangerous. Bluestreak doesn't realize how strong the Guardian programming is, and add the fact that she's a child or sparkling as well, and he'll have two sets of programs demanding that he give his life to keep her safe. He'll ignore any damage or pain he might receive just to help her. If you accidentally say the wrong thing, and she starts crying, it might well set him off." Bumblebee broke in.

"Bee, it's okay. He didn't do anything to them, and they were trying to kill her, so he won't do anything to me when I'm trying to help her just like he is. I've heard lots of stories about Bluestreak, and I've known you Autobots for several years, and I know one thing for a _fact_! None of you do _anything_ without a good reason, and I won't give him any reason to think I would hurt Amber. Someone has to help her Bee, and right now, she's not going to trust _any_ guy for any reason. Arcee can't do it, because she can't fit in a car. That means I need to do it, and I'm going to. Besides, she needs someone who can understand what she's going through." Mikeala responded sincerely.

"Hey Hatchet! How soon ya gonna have old Blue ready to go? I'm bored, and I need to fix my wax too." Sunstreaker complained loudly.

"His name is _Bluestreak!_ Not Blue; so don't call him that!" Amber said as she directed a glare at the yellow twin.

"Oh, Blue doesn't mind. We're old friends of his. We go back thousands of your years. We've been putting up with his constant chatter for Primus alone knows how long." Sideswipe put in.

"If you were really his friends then you wouldn't mind that he talks a lot. I happen to _like_ him talking to me. So for me, it's not something 'to put up with', it's something that makes him my friend, so call him by his name!" Amber retorted hotly.

_(Antagonize me if you want, but do _not_ provoke _her_! Bluestreak's Guardian program hasn't fully integrated into his processors yet and if he feels, or even imagines, that she is being threatened, he may react with lethal force!)_ Ratchet sent immediately over the comm system.

Sunstreaker and Sideswipe both turned to look at each other in disbelief. Surely there was no way that the easy-going and often timid Bluestreak would do something like that, but then they also knew that Ratchet wouldn't be allowing them to use that hated nickname of his, if this weren't such a serious matter.

"Oh come on now Hatchet. You don't think Bluestreak is dangerous do you, besides, he wouldn't try to attack us." Sunstreaker jibed.

The only sound that could be heard from Ratchet was a loud and ominous growl. _(Why the pit do you think I haven't said anything to her when she's threatened to throw another rock at me? By his own words he has failed to provide something essential to her health! Don't you think his programming would try to compensate for that failure by over reacting on something else that would ensure her safety?)_ Ratchet shot back over the comm system.

_(Do not think that Ratchet is joking, because he isn't. Why do you think Arcee is using two of her frames to stand guard on the girl while her other frame has _all_ of the other humans at a distance? Bluestreak's programs are focused on one subject right now and that is Amber. After what has occurred, it is very possible that he will lash out with deadly force. He would regret it later, but that would not stop his immediate response to protect the girl.)_ Optimus instructed the twins via the comm system.

_(They're not joking about this. Just _thinking_ about something like this happening to Sam or Mikeala is coming close to activating a majority of my combat protocols, and they are both young adults. Why do you think I'm making sure to keep Sam away from her right now?)_ Bumblebee explained over the comm system.

Both of the twins looked around skeptically for a moment before they huffed angrily as they walked away to begin planning their next prank.

Suddenly Ratchet shut down his plasma welder and closed the bent armor panel on Bluestreak's side as well as he could. "That will be good enough to get him back to the base, but once I do it will be several hours of work before he's ready for duty." Ratchet told Optimus before turning to Amber. "Now, are you satisfied that I didn't hurt him?" He demanded lightly as he reactivated the mech's pain receptors.

Shooting another glare at the robot that had hit her friend in the head, Amber looked over at Bluestreak for confirmation who was looking at her with a confused expression on his face.

"He did a fine job of fixing me Amber. But then, he always does. He only hits you with that wrench of his when you get hurt by doing something stupid." Bluestreak told her with a smile as he reached over to pick her up. "He even fixed my energon line that was damaged by the ricochet when I got shot at. So now, I can transform again. Although my alt mode still isn't much to look at. I still look like I'm ready for the recycling yards, but I know that Ratchet won't let that happen to me. He doesn't give up on a bot that's still functioning. So, I'll be getting a lot more repair work done when I get to the base, and I'll have to pick a new alt mode when he gets done, because the one I'm using is just too beat up, but I don't know what kind of alt mode I should choose. You wouldn't happen to know of a good car I can scan that would make a decent alt mode do you?"

Amber looked up at Bluestreak with confusion written all over her face. "You... you mean you can change what kind of car you turn into?"

"Oh, sure! That's actually fairly easy, as long as I'm in decent repair, which I will be once I get to the base, and Ratchet gets me all fixed up. Any of us can do that. After all; an alt mode from another world wouldn't exactly let me blend in and hide on this one would it? So our systems let us pick and choose the type of vehicle that we want to a degree. For example, I might be able to pick an alt mode that's _really_ fast, but if I pick one that's _too_ fast, then it can damage my systems, so I would never do something like that, because then Ratchet would yell at me every time he saw me. I'd have so many dents in my cranial plates that my optics would probably cross forever. Oh, wait! I never did introduce you to everyone did I?" Bluestreak finished excitedly.

Amber just shook her head with a small smile in answer, since she'd already figured out that when Bluestreak got excited about something, he just kept right on going.

"Well, the big red and blue mech over there is Optimus Prime, but mostly everyone just calls him Optimus. Well, except for some, like Ultra Magnus, who calls him by the title of Prime, which is what he is, since he's our leader, but others, call him Big Bot, or Boss Bot. The day glow green mech is Ratchet. He's our medic, and if he can't get you fixed up and good as new then it can't be done. He gets a little grouchy sometimes, but he's really the best there is. The yellow one is Sunstreaker, and the red one is his twin brother Sideswipe, they're the ones who taught me almost everything I know about how to pull a prank." Bluestreak was saying when he was suddenly interrupted by the twins in question.

"Hey! What do you mean '_almost_' everything you know?" Sideswipe demanded.

"Who else have you been pulling pranks with Blue?" Sunstreaker said at nearly the same time.

"Oh! Well, Jazz did ask me to talk to a certain mech every now and then to distract them while he went and did something, but I never knew what it was until after he'd done it. Anyway, Amber. These two can teach you how to pull off some of the most amazing pranks you'd ever think possible. They sometimes even get Bumblebee to help them. He's the golden yellow mech with the black striping over there. He's a really nice mech, and I know you'll like him, because almost everyone does." Bluestreak was telling her.

"_You_! You were the one helping Jazz! Slag! And here we thought that he was somehow getting Prowl to help him prank the Hatchet!" Sideswipe interrupted with a glare at both of the mechs, while the CMO growled angrily in response.

"Like you two wouldn't just _love_ the chance to learn from Jazz!" Ironhide commented with a snicker at the twins who bristled at that.

"That's Ironhide. He's our weapon specialist, and _no one_ has a more powerful cannon than he does, except maybe his spark mate Chromia. Then there's Arcee. She's really nice and very helpful too. She doesn't even seem to mind that I talk so much. She did get damaged a long time ago, and Ratchet had to split her spark among three different frames, but all three of them are Arcee. It seems really confusing sometimes, because all three of them are the same bot and each one knows exactly what the others are doing, and she can really be in three different places at the same time while doing three different things. The only bad part to it is that if any one of her frames get damaged then the other two feel it as well. So while it would be really neat to be able to do the different things that she does at the same time, if she gets hurt then it's almost like she got hit with three times the damage because of how the whole setup works. I don't really understand it, but Arcee can explain it a lot better than I can. Now I don't know who the humans are, but I'm sure the others do, or they wouldn't be here. But then, I just realized that you're here and none of them know you either; so I guess I need to introduce you to them." Bluestreak told the girl in his hand before looking up at everyone else. "This is my friend Amber, and she's really nice. I hope you like her, because I don't think she'll try to cause any trouble, but it just seems to have found her last night."

Amber looked around at the different robots and people who were all looking at her. Being the center of that much attention made her extremely nervous, because the only other times that she'd experienced that much attention, had almost always been a prelude to things she'd hated being made to do. She gave a small wave and sincerely hoped that it would satisfy them.

"Hi Amber. I'm Mikeala, and that guy sitting on Bumblebee's shoulder over there is Sam, my boyfriend. The soldiers are Colonel William Lennox, but everybody just calls him Will, unless they're one of his soldiers. Sergeant Major Robert Epps, who everybody just calls Epps. Sergeant Major Figueroa, but we all call him Fig, and what ever you do, _don't_ encourage his Spanish. Because unless you speak it like a native, you'll _never_ understand him! Then there's Master Gunnery Sergeant James Romero, but everyone just calls him Gunny. We're all really good friends with the Autobots. Well, _most_ of them anyway." Mikeala finished with a pointed glance at Sunstreaker.

Amber had paid attention as the dark haired woman pointed out everyone and told her their names, and she'd noticed with both a little surprise and consternation that each of them had smiled and nodded to her when they were introduced. She really didn't know any of them with the sole exception of Bluestreak, and to be perfectly honest, she didn't really know him all that well. She knew that the mech had helped her escape, kept her from being killed, helped her get something to eat last night, and even kept her dry while she'd slept in his hand. Now, he was having her meet other robots that he knew along with some people that he didn't know.

She looked down at herself and immediately saw just how filthy she really was. She knew that her Papas would have punished her horribly for even _thinking_ about meeting strangers while looking the way she did, but there was nothing she could do about it, and that, among other things, bothered her. She hated the fact that these people she didn't even know, knew about her horrible secret. It was disturbing, confusing, and frightening all at once. Her attention was drawn back to the big red and blue one named Optimus when he suggested that they begin heading back to the base.

"Sunstreaker, I want you and your brother up front. Ratchet, you'll follow next, followed by Bluestreak and Arcee. I will follow them. Ironhide; I want you and the soldiers behind me to help Bumblebee cover the rear position." Optimus ordered.

"I'll ride with Bluestreak and Amber. Bluestreak will need someone to sit behind the wheel to look like they're driving, so we don't attract too much attention. Besides, that will give me a chance to get to know both of them a little better." Mikeala explained.

"That is an excellent idea Mikeala, since Amber is obviously too young to have a legal driver's license. We don't need him getting pulled over by local authorities to examine any of his non existent paperwork." Optimus replied before Bumblebee could voice the complaints that he so obviously had thanks to his sour expression.

Bluestreak nodded his head and stood up to walk over to the dirt road. Then he set Amber down on her feet and transformed.

Amber was about to go around to the passenger side and get in the older model LTD when she looked back at the twins because of _very_ disgusted sounds.

"What the slag Blue? You look like you took on Devastator by yourself in a last mech standing match!" Sideswipe exclaimed in disgust.

"No slagging kidding! What'd you do? Take on a whole combiner team in a boxing match?" Sunstreaker asked in horror.

"Humpf! Almost looks like he made the mistake getting Chromia fragged off." Ironhide muttered.

"Oh Blue! What happened to make you look like _that_?" Blue Arcee asked softly.

A very pitiful sound emerged from the LTD before Bluestreak spoke up. "I didn't _want_ to hit The Devil's Tower, but that upper level turbulence knocked me off course. I slammed _right_ into that thing, and it tore me up. I didn't want to hit that thing but I didn't have any choice, and the only alt mode I could find that still worked and would fit my size was this one, and I know it looks bad, but there's nothing I could do, and I didn't have any other choice!" He wailed in dismay.

"Ha! You got into an argument with a giant rock and _lost_!" Ironhide said chuckling.

The black mech's laughter was ended abruptly when a small rock pinged off his chest after hitting one of his headlights. He looked around for the source and instantly spotted Amber glaring at him. He looked her over out of surprise more than anything else since the rock hadn't even scratched his paint.

"Leave him _alone_!" Amber snapped angrily.

Amber turned her attention to the ground to find a couple more rocks to throw, when she looked up for some reason she couldn't name. She saw the robot named Ratchet brandishing a _very_ large wrench at both of the twins and threatening to throw it at them without saying a single word. She looked up at the CMO curiously.

"You just better thank Primus that it was her that shut you up and not me! And if any of you have anything _else _to say, you might want to ask for slagging permission first!" Ratchet growled at Ironhide and the twins in turn.

He noticed that Amber was watching him, and that was the only reason that he didn't throw his wrench at those irritating twins. "Shut it! Both of you, _now_!"

"Don't worry about it; Ratchet will get you fixed up when we get to the base." The Blue Arcee unit reassured.

"Hey, you just hang in there, and we'll get you squared away with no problem. So don't pay any attention to them, besides, they'll end up looking worse sooner or later, and when they do... I'll take pictures and post them on the web!" Mikeala said flashing a malicious grin at the twins.

Both of the twins were sputtering indignantly when Mikeala got in the LTD. Amber climbed in to the passenger seat, and Bluestreak started his engine.

"Oh _boy_! He sounds even better than you two do!" Mikeala grinned at the twins. "I'll say this much Bluestreak, you may be a little beat up right now, but your engine sounds _really_ good, and I'm going to make sure that Ratchet gets the rest of you looking as good as that sounds." She said as she closed the door.

As soon as the other mechs had transformed, and everyone had loaded up, Optimus took a quick look around. "Autobots... roll out."


	4. Chapter 4

Alone Nevermore 4

Mikeala had her left elbow propped on the door with her hand resting lightly on the steering wheel. So that if any one paid attention, she would appear to be driving, even though she wasn't applying any pressure. It was a good hour after leaving the national park that they started rolling into town. She wasn't really paying any attention to the near constant dialog that Bluestreak kept up to Arcee over the comm system, but she noticed that Amber was keeping up with it as Bluestreak related everything that had happened to him since the last time he'd seen her.

"Okay guys, I'm starved, and it's lunchtime, so when are we going to get something to eat?" Sam demanded loudly as he interrupted Bluestreak's chatter over the comm which was kept open by orders from Optimus.

"There's a Sonic up ahead. We can pull in and grab some burgers or something there." Will suggested.

Sam and the other soldiers quickly agreed, and Mikeala had no problem with it, but Amber hadn't said anything one way or the other.

"Amber if you don't want something from Sonic we can stop somewhere else if you want." Mikeala said trying to be reasonable.

"I don't have any money." Amber answered softly.

"Don't worry about it. I've got plenty."

"I don't want to play a game for something to eat." Amber answered in soft voice that was filled with sadness.

Mikeala frowned in confusion before her eyes widened in both surprise and horror as she suddenly figured out what the girl meant. "Bluestreak cut the comm signal! I don't want them to hear this."

"I don't think I should really do that Mikeala. Optimus said to keep the channel open so that we could all communicate with each other, and I don't want to get in any more trouble than I'm already in for trying to help Amber." Bluestreak answered.

"Mikeala are you positive about this? What if...?" Arcee began worriedly.

"I'm sure! I need to talk to Amber privately, and this is a girl thing. Arcee can listen in, if it has to be that way, but _no_ one else!" Mikeala retorted.

"Bluestreak, do as Mikeala suggests." Optimus ordered solemnly.

Mikeala knew the instant that the comm system was shut down because Sam's protests were also cut off in mid sentence, and she quickly turned to address the girl beside her. "Amber, I know this is hard for you, but I need you to understand something. You don't ever, and I mean _ever_ have to do that again if you don't want to! What they made you do was wrong. If you want something to eat then say so. I'm not going to make you do _anything_ to pay for it either! I offered to buy you something to eat because I want to be your friend, _not_ because I want sex from you! Do you understand?"

"But my Papas always told me that nothing was free. That if I want something then I have to pay for it. Either with money or with one of their games. And I don't want to play any more." Amber said as she started crying softly.

Mikeala swallowed hard and steeled herself for what she was about to say. "I know how you feel. One of my ex boyfriends raped me once. He was a jealous control freak, and he got into his dad's liquor. He was drunk and he got me into the back seat of his Trans Am to make out. He wanted more, but I didn't. He was bigger and stronger than I was, so he tore my clothes off and did what he wanted. It hurt. I tried to stop him. I tried fighting, I tried begging, and even screaming, but nothing helped. He did it anyway."

She paused for a second or two as silent tears began to fall from her blue eyes. "I thought that it was something I had done wrong, but it wasn't. There was nothing wrong with me. There was something wrong with _him_! He was the one who forced me. He was the one who was wrong. Just like they forced you. They were wrong, Amber. Even if you had wanted them to do those things, it _still_ would have been wrong because you're not eighteen yet. Neither was I, but I didn't know that it was wrong then. I won't ever make you do something like that, because I know how it feels. So if you ever want to talk about it, just remember that I'm here, okay?"

Amber nodded her head. She wasn't sure why Mikeala was doing this, after the brutal methods her Papas had used to teach her other wise. Of course she was hungry, but her Papas had been really mean and violent yesterday and it had hurt more than enough to make her scream in pain, and there was no way she could face doing anything like that as much as she was still hurting inside.

"So do you want something from Sonic?" Mikeala asked breaking into her line of thoughts. "I promise that you won't owe me anything. I'm on an expense account, so the government pays me back for anything I spend."

Amber nodded her head even as her stomach answered that question as well by rumbling loudly.

Mikeala let out a deep breath, hoping that the rest of what this girl needed wasn't going to be so difficult. She'd hated having to bring up that part of her past, because it was something that she would prefer to forget, and even though it was impossible to forget, she could at least try to put it out of her mind and not dwell on it.

Mikeala took a deep breath to steady herself and calm her nerves. She knew that she hadn't even told Sam about that part of her past, and as much as she didn't want to admit it, even Trent would have gone ballistic over something like that. As callously as he'd treated her sometimes, even Trent had better standards than that.

"Bluestreak, I know you heard everything I just said, and I'm asking you please; don't ever tell anyone, okay?" Mikeala asked the mech.

"I promise. I'm actually really good at keeping secrets. I may talk a lot, but it's always about things that I'm allowed to talk about. I've never talked about anything that I've been asked to keep a secret." Bluestreak said in a slightly subdued tone.

As Mikeala was about to thank the mech when her attention was pulled outside to the Pink Arcee unit who was riding next to them.

"Arcee is asking me to roll down the window, do you want me to do that?" The mech asked her cautiously.

Mikeala nodded her head and looked over at Arcee as the window lowered.

"Mikeala, are you okay? I know you were crying and I thought I should ask if something might be wrong." Arcee asked with obvious concern in her voice.

"I'm okay, Arcee. This... this is just a little hard to deal with you know?"

The hologram riding the pink motorcycle nodded her head, and dropped back a little.

"See, Amber? I told you that Arcee was nice. She even checked on Mikeala to make sure that she's okay. Wait. Why would she think that something was wrong unless she's been watching closely? Did she think I did something to make you cry like that?" Bluestreak asked confused.

"She's just worried Bluestreak." Mikeala answered a little preoccupied.

With the window still down, the Pink Arcee unit was able to hear both comments and decided that Bluestreak deserved to know the truth, so she pulled back alongside the grey LTD to explain.

"You're right, Bluestreak. I am concerned for Mikeala's safety right now. We all are. That's because your Guardian software hasn't fully integrated with the rest of your programs yet. We're worried that Amber might start crying, and if that happens, then your Guardian subroutines could cause you to seriously hurt someone right now. I know you wouldn't do it intentionally, but it could still happen." Arcee explained gently.

"He wouldn't! Bluestreak wouldn't do that! If he was like that he would have killed my Papas last night, and he didn't!" Amber exclaimed in defense of her friend.

"Normally, no. Bluestreak wouldn't do something like that, but right now, some of his programs are trying to assert themselves in a priority mode to protect you, Amber. That means that he might not react normally right now. If something were to hurt you, there is a very real chance that he could severely overreact in your defense." The Pink Arcee unit explained gently.

"But how could that possibly happen? I haven't been assigned to be Amber's Guardian yet. I mean I've been hoping that I could convince Optimus to let me have that position, but until he does, I can't be her Guardian can I?" Bluestreak asked her.

"Actually Bluestreak, both the Guardian and the sparkling care software is a part of our core programming. That means that as soon as you realized how young Amber was, and that she was alone with no one but you to rely on; _you_ became not only her Guardian, but also her caretaker. You've already started fulfilling both of those roles; by doing whatever you thought was needed to protect her. As it stands, not even direct orders from Optimus would be able to counter the demands of that software. That's why Ratchet didn't respond to her throwing the rocks at him. You and I both know him well enough to realize that if it had been anyone else, Ratchet would have been threatening to weld them to a table or something."

"I'd weld him into pieces if he tried!" Bluestreak interrupted angrily.

"That's exactly what I mean Blue. Think about it. When was the last time you threatened a fellow Autobot? For that matter when have you ever threatened _anyone_? Your programs are focusing on protecting Amber right now, and we understand that, but it still means that it can be _potentially_ dangerous for others to interact with her. Mikeala is with the two of you because, like you, she wants to help Amber. We _all_ do. I won't tell you that this is going to be easy, because it won't be. What Amber has gone through... is something that none of us would have imagined possible, and not even the _worst_ of the Decepticons ever stooped to such acts, and I honestly don't think that even _they_ could have conceived of such a thing!" Arcee said heavily.

"I want you to understand that we do have a reason to be worried about Mikeala, and before you ask, yes, I did tell her about this beforehand, and she _still_ wanted to ride with you! That alone should tell you how much she wants to help. You're not alone in this Bluestreak, we're your friends, and we're here for you, and we're here for Amber too." Arcee told him.

The absolute sincerity in the femme's voice was obvious to anyone that heard her speaking, and Bluestreak could easily tell that she meant every word. He was more than a little concerned by what she'd just told him, and he wasn't quite sure that he fully believed her. Then he realized that he had a way to find out for sure. He initiated a compatibility diagnostic on his core programming. Even though he knew that it might take a while because that diagnostic routine was normally only used when a bot was certain that they might have a cyber virus. He set the routine to run while he returned his attention to the occupants of his cabin.

"Bluestreak, before you say anything. Let me just say that I've heard a lot about you. Both Jazz and Bee have said many times that a mech doesn't get much better than you. I've known Bee for several years, and he's saved my life a time or two. I know that we haven't had a chance to get to know each other, and that we only met like a couple of hours ago, but I know that Bee wasn't lying when he talks about what kind of friend you are. My friends know that they can trust you, so that means I can too." Mikeala told him factually.

Bluestreak couldn't believe what he was hearing. Arcee had just explained that he was potentially dangerous, and had even proved it to him. But here was a fragile human who was willingly putting her life in his hands because of something she had been told by her friends! He'd known that he had a few friends among the Autobots, but never would he have guessed that _anyone_ would speak so highly of him so as to instill that kind of faith and trust in him. Such a revelation was more than a little unsettling.

"He saved my life. He wasn't even supposed to let me know about him, but as soon as I got in, he turned on the heater so I could warm up. He got shot a whole lot of times last night because he wouldn't let my Papas kill me. He even tore up his trans… trans… whatever it is, when he was running away from them. Then he made a knife for me so I could fix something to eat, and he even used his hand to keep me dry during the rain last night." Amber said morosely.

"I don't want him to be in trouble because of me." She said as she started crying softly.

"Bluestreak isn't in any trouble. We just have to be a little careful for a while now that he's your Guardian, Amber. We can talk some more once we're parked." The Blue Arcee unit said as she quickly pulled in front of the grey LTD to join her other two frames as the strange convoy pulled into the Sonic Drive in.

"Bluestreak would you mind picking a spot that's away from the others? I'd like to have a little privacy so we can still talk." Mikeala asked as they pulled in.

When he saw all three of the Arcee units pull into one spot with an opening next to them, Bluestreak took it.

Mikeala's eyes widened in surprise when one of the Arcee triplets hit the button on the ordering station.

"What are you going to order? And what are you planning on doing with it?" Bluestreak asked in surprise before Mikeala could say anything.

"I'm ordering three waters. One for each frame, so I can add it to my cooling system. It'll help keep up appearances while I talk with you." The Purple Arcee unit answered while the Blue unit gave the order.

"Are you _really_ like Bluestreak said?" Amber asked in amazement.

The Pink Arcee unit laughed while the purple one replied. "Yes Amber. I really am one bot or person with three bodies. If you talk to one of me, then you are still talking to me, and it doesn't matter which one you talk to since all three are still just me. Besides, being able to do three different things at once lets me make up for the difference in my size compared to bots like Bluestreak here. Now, what are you two going to have? My treat."

"Okay! You won't hear me arguing about it. What do want Amber?" Mikeala said with a smile.

"Be sure that she eats enough to make up for missing breakfast, and she didn't get to eat anything except two and a half rabbits last night, so she needs to make up for that too. I would have gotten her something for breakfast somehow, but I couldn't transform with that damaged energon line, and even if I had been able to transform, I still wouldn't have been able to go anywhere because of my transmission. I wish those men had never come back, because then I would have been able to come into town to at least _try_ to get her something to eat." Bluestreak told Mikeala.

"It doesn't quite work that way Bluestreak. Once you miss a meal, then you've missed it. Besides, she's not going to be skipping meals anymore." Mikeala said with a laugh.

Amber looked over at Arcee with an uncertain expression on her face. In spite of what she'd just been told, she was sure that some type of payment would be demanded later, and that worried her.

"Well Amber? What are you going to have?" The Pink Arcee unit asked as all three of them turned their attention towards her.

Amber looked down at the dashboard of the LTD as she thought about it. She knew that they weren't going to let her off without ordering something. Finally deciding that if she were going to have to pay for it later, she might as well at least _try_ to make it worth it.

"Can I have a cheeseburger combo with cheese tots, and a chilidog combo with cheese tots?" Amber asked nervously.

Mikeala snorted as she smothered a laugh of both disbelief and surprise. She knew that the girl had to be hungry, but she hadn't imagined that she'd be _that_ hungry!

"Sure! That'll do for something to eat, but you've got to get something to drink to go with it. So what's it going to be?" Blue Arcee asked with a smile.

"Root beer." Amber answered simply.

Mikeala nodded and pushed the button to place the orders. She gave Amber's order first, before she made her own order. Then when the cashier read the orders back she quickly added two Route 44 Root beer floats.

Amber looked at the dark haired woman in surprise, but before she could say anything, she was cut off.

"What? Everybody needs a little treat every now and then. Besides, after a mess like the one we've had, I think we _both_ need one!" Mikeala explained.

"I'll agree with you there, Mikeala. This has been one pit of a time for me. One minute, I'm entering Earth's atmosphere right alongside Ultra Magnus, Prowl, and Sunstreaker, the next I'm hitting that stupid rock in the middle of nowhere hard enough that I can't even _talk_ to anyone on my comm system! Then just when things are starting to look up, those... those... _Oooh_! I don't even have an insult that's good enough for those guys, but they had to go and shove Amber out of that van. They didn't just abandon her, they _pushed_ her! Oh, but that wasn't enough for them. Oh no! No, they had to come back to try to kill Amber. I should have made the leader of them try to eat my plasma sword last night, then make the others enjoy a nice hot serving of cannon plasma! They would have killed her too! You wouldn't believe what I had to do to make sure that I got her away from them. I hope I _never_ have to do anything even _close_ to being as dangerous as that was for her. If I hadn't ignored the pain I was in, and transformed at high speed, she would have been killed for sure. I had to spin sideways and flip over at high speed so I could throw her in the air and transform so I could catch her! I never want to have to do anything like that again, because it was _way_ too dangerous for her. She could even have been hurt or killed when I caught her, and Primus forbid what the result would have been if I'd missed! But then there was that lightning! That stuff is scary! That was enough raw electrical current to even hit a nonconductive material! We watched two different trees get hit by that stuff, and the second one was destroyed by it. It was so bad that the tree was _burning_, and then it had even killed the rabbits that were under it. But that actually turned out to be a good thing because Amber collected the rabbits, and she asked me to try to make a knife out of a rock using my plasma sword. It really wasn't a very good knife though. I'll have to practice making them just in case I ever have to do that again, but she was able to use it to clean the rabbits and cook them on the tree that was on fire from the lightning. Did you know that when you clean rabbits, you actually _need_ to use a knife? I didn't know that but I do now, thanks to Amber. I've learned a lot of things thanks to her, and I'm so glad that she'll get a good meal now, because that's really important for young humans, isn't it?" Bluestreak said excitedly.

A mere partway into the mech's spiel, Mikeala was gaping in pure astonishment. Her blue eyes were as wide as they could get, and her mouth had dropped open as her mind refused to comprehend how _anyone_ could just keep going like that. If she didn't know any better, she would almost _swear_ that the hell spawned Energizer Bunny was somehow powering the mech's vocal processor!

The Purple Arcee triplet laughed musically as she reached in the open window to place a semi solid hand on Mikeala's shoulder. "Now you understand why his name is _Bluestreak_!"

Still in dumbfounded shock, Mikeala nodded her head in vague comprehension of the femme's words.

"You also got shot too. I'm sorry my Papas had those guns Bluestreak." Amber said softly.

"Oh that's nothing to really worry about, Amber. I've been shot lots of times before, and the Decepticons used _much_ bigger guns than those men had last night. The only reason that they were able to do anything to me was because my armor was all bent up. It wasn't your fault that they did those things, and now we're _both_ safe with my friends." Bluestreak told her reassuringly.

The conversation came to a halt as their orders arrived. Mikeala handed Amber her food and watched as the girl set her chilidog to the side, put a napkin in her lap, and started on the cheeseburger. She would have sworn that the girl would start wolfing the food down, but instead, she was eating slowly and deliberately as she made every attempt to use proper table manners while sitting in a car.

"I figure we can save the floats for dessert." Mikeala told her.

Amber merely nodded her head, but didn't pause in her chewing. "Thank you for lunch, Arcee. I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome Amber. I only wish that we'd met under better conditions. But now that we have, I think you'll be in for an interesting experience. We aren't the only Autobots on Earth, after all." The Blue Arcee unit replied.

"How many of you are there?" Amber asked curiously before taking another bite of her burger.

"Well, There are Ultra Magnus and Prowl who are still at the base. Jazz is there as well, but right now, he's been tasked with keeping the Dinobots under control, and that is _not_ an easy thing to do! Chromia, and Elita are the only other femmes at the base, but Kup is there as well." The Blue Arcee triplet told her.

Amber had no real idea what she was supposed to do with that information and as much as it surprised her, she decided to turn her attention back to her food.

Bluestreak was about to comment on the bots still at the base when he got the results of his diagnostic. The results terrified him. They showed that there were two programs currently in the process of overriding a majority of his other subroutines. It was very disturbing in that those two programs dictated that Amber's safety, health, well being, and even happiness were of paramount importance. Those two programs were exactly the ones that Arcee had stipulated. It was nowhere near a pleasant revelation, and he couldn't argue with the results.

"Mikeala, I... I think you should ride with one of the others. I ran a compatibility diagnostic, and Arcee was right about what's happening to my programming. I didn't want her to be right, but she _is_! From what I can see, it won't even take much, and I'd become as dangerous as some Decepticon. I don't _ever_ want to be like that, but there's nothing I can do about this." Bluestreak said fearfully.

Amber nearly dropped her burger when she heard her friend make that comment. "No way! Why would you say something like that? You're _not_ dangerous Bluestreak! You're not, and I know it!"

"Amber, listen to me!" Bluestreak interrupted her suddenly. "My programming is going through serious compatibility problems right now. All it would take is for something to make you cry, and... and I don't know what I'd end up doing, but it wouldn't be nice. It's not something I can stop right now, but my programming won't allow me to let _anything_ place you in jeopardy, and that includes making sure that you're happy."

Amber might have been young, but she wasn't stupid, and her mind began to race as she tried to think of something. Then one possible solution occurred to her, but she needed a little more information first.

"Would you still do something to them even if I got in the way?" Amber asked cautiously.

The instant that he considered the question, a massive amount of pain traveled through Bluestreak's systems as _both_ of the programs in question tried to lock him out of system access and freeze his motor functions. It took the mech a few seconds to get himself back under control and he realized that those two subroutines would make _certain_ that he couldn't do _anything_ that might place Amber in harms way.

"No. I _couldn't_! Just thinking about doing something to you even by accident nearly freezes my systems..."

"Then all I have to do is stay next to Mikeala and you can't do anything to her; right?"

"Amber, that's a _very_ dangerous game to play! If Bluestreak identifies Mikeala as a threat to you and you try to get closer to her; _you_ would be putting her in more danger from Bluestreak's actions because it would become even more important to him that he get you away from her. The best thing to do would be to leave so that Bluestreak would no longer consider her a threat to you." Arcee said from all three units simultaneously.

Amber looked down at her lap sadly. "I don't want anyone getting hurt because of me."

"We don't want that either, Amber, and I know Bluestreak doesn't want to hurt anyone, or he wouldn't have asked Mikeala to ride with someone else." The Blue Arcee unit said gently.

"Look Amber; Bluestreak is just having some adjustment issues right now. Give him some time, and he'll sort things out. I went through some things with Bee when I first got together with Sam, but the fact is, Bee did everything he could to get me and Sam together because it was what Sam wanted. As Sam's Guardian, Bee needed to help with that, and he did." Mikeala told her factually.

"I'll be the first to admit that it's tough sometimes. Sam's a sweet guy, and he tries really hard, but he's nothing like what I'm used to, and it just takes some adjusting. It'll take some time, but I'm willing to take that time, because I think the result will be worth it. Bluestreak is the same way. It's going to take some time for him to adjust to the programs that tell him how he needs to protect and guard you, but it _will_ happen, and it will be worth it. Trust me, Bluestreak is going to turn out to be a great friend, and you'll get a real kick out of hanging with the Autobots. I mean come on; what could _possibly_ be cooler than hanging out with robots from another world?" Mikeala asked animatedly.

"You mean... I won't be going to jail?" Amber asked uncertainly.

"_What_? Why would you think something like that...? No! Listen to me! _You_ didn't do a single thing wrong except for keeping what they did to you a secret. _They_ are the ones who will going to jail, Amber. _You_ are going to be spending time hanging out with some of the _coolest_ people you'll ever meet." Mikeala exclaimed.

"Mikeala's right, Amber. When we return to the base, you'll get to meet the others, and I haven't seen a human yet that didn't like both Jazz and Kup." The Pink Arcee triplet told her while gently changing the subject.

"Are they like you and Bluestreak?" Amber asked uncertainly.

"Well, if by that you mean 'are they friendly?', then yeah; they are. Jazz is really cool, and Kup... he kind of reminds me of somebody's Grampa." Mikeala answered shoving a few chili and cheese smothered fries in her mouth.

Amber shook her head in denial of the unreality of the whole situation. Robots from outer space were not only real and the size of Gundams, but they seemed to want her to be their friend. Only in her wildest dreams could something like this have ever happened, but what truly made it so unbelievable was that this _wasn't_ a dream. That was when she realized that she was _already_ friends with one them! She didn't know if this was going to turn out to be some crazy dream or not, but she figured that she might as well enjoy it.

Soon, the Autobots were pulling out of the Sonic Drive In, and taking their passengers with them. Mikeala had finished her food and was enjoying her root beer float and Amber was doing the same after wrapping up a fair portion of the food to eat later. It was nearing midmorning as the strange convoy passed a school where several classes were participating in some outdoor activities.

"There's my school. The neighborhood kids look like they're playing softball today. I never liked playing that game. " Amber commented blandly.

"Wait! If that's your school, then do you know how to get to your house from here?" Sgt. Epps asked quickly over the comm channel which had been opened after leaving the Sonic.

"Sure, why?" Amber replied.

No one but Ironhide, and the other occupants in his cab could see the sly, calculating, and menacing look that crossed the sergeant's face as he quickly made his reply. "Well, I figure that you could use some clothes. So we might as well grab 'em while we're close by right? You won't even need to get out if you don't want to."

"But what if my Papas are there? They'll try to kill me again." Amber exclaimed in fear.

"Amber, I don't think they'll be there after last night, but if they are, then they'll get arrested, and that's all there is to it." Col. Lennox replied firmly.

"Their bullets can't penetrate my alt mode Amber. So, you'll be safe inside my cabin, just like you were last night. I didn't let them catch you last night, and my transmission isn't about to fall apart on me now, so I can get you away from them a _lot_ better than I did last night! They won't have a chance of catching us. I'll make sure of that." Bluestreak told his friends reassuringly.

"Not a slagging _chance_ Bluestreak! Your armor does _not_ need to be put through that kind of stress. If they even _look_ like they're about to start shooting, then I want you to take cover behind me. My armor is thicker and in _much_ better condition than yours! I don't need you any more damaged than you already are!" Ratchet ordered immediately.

"Now do you see what I was saying, Amber? Ratchet really is a good medic. He doesn't want me getting anymore damaged than I already am, plus his armor would give you and Mikeala even more protection than mine would. You'll be so safe that you won't have to worry about anything, especially with the twins around! Those two _really_ know how to fight, and they're _really_ good at it too! But now that I think about it, with them and Ironhide around, you really wouldn't need me, because I'm not that good at fighting, because I don't like it. In fact, I _hate_ having to fight!" Bluestreak finished sadly.

"Well don't feel bad about that Bluestreak, because I hate fighting too. I just don't want anyone to get hurt." Amber told the mech before she looked over at Mikeala. "Do we _have_ to go to my house?"

"I think it would be a good idea, and since they probably won't be there, we would be able to grab you some clothes." Mikeala suggested.

Amber gave the directions to the house where she lived, and soon the rather strange convoy was pulling to a stop in front of a typical home in a fairly quiet residential neighborhood. Col. Lennox and the three soldiers with him quickly exited Ironhide's alt mode and approached the front door. It didn't take the men very long at all to figure out that there was no one home. As soon as they did Col. Lennox gave the 'all clear' signal to Ironhide who then relayed that message to the others.

"They're not home, because the van and the other cars are gone. They even took the truck." Amber said as she got out of the grey LTD.

"Amber, you wouldn't happen to have a key, would you? Even if this is your house, I don't think the neighbors or police will appreciate us just breaking in." Col. Lennox asked her.

"Yes Sir. I always keep the spare where I can find it, but no one else can." She answered as she went to the flower bed. She moved the gnome statue to one side with her left hand while her right hand moved the dirt beneath it to get the box containing the spare key.

Amber unlocked the door and started to go in when she was stopped by a hand that clamped down on her shoulder. Immediately cringing away from it, she looked up to see a very serious expression on the face of Sergeant Epps. "You just hang back and let us go first so we can make sure it's clear." The man told her, and she nodded her head as she stepped back from the door.

Epps stepped aside while Sgt. Romero went barreling through the doorway and into the living room in an instant. He was quickly followed by Fig who was wielding a cut down plasma rifle that could easily act as a room broom in a sticky situation. The gunnery sergeant took one solid look around the living room and gave a single nod to Fig. "Living room clear!"

The two of them quickly split up and began searching the house for any possible hostiles.

"Hallway clear!"

"Master bedroom clear!"

"Bathroom clear!"

"Closet clear!"

Within less then thirty seconds, the two men had swept the entire house and verified that there was no one present. Col. Lennox and Sgt Epps then allowed Amber into the house.

"Mikeala I need you to make sure that Amber doesn't do anything more than change clothes. You'll need to put what she's wearing in a bag and tie it up so that those garments can be used as evidence. Do _not_ let her take a shower! She can do that after we get back to the base." Ratchet ordered over the comm system so the young woman could hear it.

Mikeala left Bluestreak's alt mode and hurried into the house where Amber was heading to the bathroom after getting a change of clothes from her room. "Amber. I know you're going to hate this, but Ratchet doesn't want you to take a shower or a bath right now. Go ahead and get some clean clothes on, and you can finish getting cleaned up when we get to the base." She explained gently.

"Hate to break it to you like this, but we don't have all the time in the world. We need to make this quick. Amber, I'm sorry, but you really don't have time to get cleaned up right now. Do it later. Change your clothes, and start packing. Grab what you want to keep and make it fast. I'm not taking the chance on those guys coming back and getting their hands on you." Sgt. Romero said as he headed back to his CO.

Amber nodded her head and went into the bathroom to change her clothes. While she was doing that, Mikeala stepped into the girls room and stopped to gape at what she saw.

There were no posters or pictures on the walls, but instead, there were _lots_ of shelves, and nearly every of them were filled with stuffed animals. The few shelves that didn't have stuffed animals on them were literally crowded with statues of some kind of robots that almost resembled Cybertronians in their shapes and forms. A glance at the girl's four-poster bed showed her the blue bedding that was littered with about a dozen more stuffed animals. Amber literally had a zoo made of plushies. Glancing at random, Mikeala saw Teddy bears, white tigers, turtles, dogs, cats, horses, unicorns, and even a stuffed dragon that was sitting in the middle of the girl's bed.

Mikeala shook her head, and turned away from all from that before she looked in the closet and found a set of luggage, which she got out and began filling one of the suitcases with clothes from the closet and dresser.

Col. Lennox was standing outside in a casual manner while keeping a sharp eye out for neighborhood activity. He could provide paperwork which stated that he and his men were engaged in a classified ops mission, and he even had papers that explained the presence of Sam and Mikeala, but he had absolutely _nothing_ to cover Amber or Bluestreak. It was a valid concern at this point, given that they were now in an obviously residential section of town. He had just started to relax slightly when he noticed the next door neighbor standing near the porch of his house.

The man appeared to be in his late seventies or early eighties, with the lined face that only came from decades of hard work. Tan khaki slacks, brown loafers, and a tan short sleeve button down shirt completed the white haired mans appearance. The eyes however, told the experienced soldier a far different story. They were neither blue, nor hazel, but an in between color that was almost like that of steel. There was fear contained in those steel grey eyes, but there was something else there as well.

Col. Lennox wasn't sure what it was besides fear that he saw in the old man's eyes, but whatever it was, had made him walk over to speak with the man.

"If you're a friend of Dave's, he and his brothers left in a bit of a hurry last night." The old man said nervously.

"I've never met any of them, so I won't make that claim." Lennox answered honestly.

The expression on the man's face was puzzled first, but then suddenly brightened as understanding dawned on him. "You'd be a friend of Maigan's then, right?" He asked hopefully.

"Yes Sir. That I am." Will said bluntly not giving anything away.

The old man suddenly smiled and stuck his right hand out in a genuine greeting. "I'm Robert Henderson. Most folks around here call me Bob. I've been praying that someone could help that girl for three years now. Those men told me and everyone else around here point blank that if any of us ever said anything, they'd kill us all."

"Really?" Will asked with interest. "In that case, we can add terroristic threats, and conspiracy to commit murder to their list of charges." He added with relish.

Bob's eyes widened in surprise at that statement. "You mean you're really going after them?"

"Sir, in addition to whatever else they've done. I plan to have them brought up on charges of espionage for improperly obtaining highly classified information last night. So you can rest assured that we'll find them." Will stated forcefully after quickly thinking of something to satisfy the old man.

"Son, I am _sure_ glad to hear you say that. You got to understand, I was with the Army Corps of Engineers in Vietnam. I have no problem putting my life on the line for someone else, but I couldn't expect half the neighborhood to do the same, not with them having their grandkids come to visit." Bob told him in relief.

"Given what we know so far, you did the right thing for your neighbors, because they tried to kill her last night along with one of my personnel who was helping her. So, I don't doubt that they would have carried out their threats." Will answered solemnly.

"My God." Bob muttered before he looked at the unit patch on Will's shoulder. "Thirteenth Special Forces? I've never heard of a unit like that." He said in a tone of confusion.

"We're a combined team with the best men from around the world! Heh, we've even got some Russian Spetsnaz assigned to our unit. So it's not really going to matter where they try to run, we'll find them, and we _will_ put them away!" Col. Lennox answered earnestly.

"Thank God for that! You just don't know how hard it was to listen to that girl's screams coming from that house, and know that if you ever said anything, that you and your neighbors would die." Bob told him with tears in his eyes. "You just be sure to do one thing for me son. When you do catch those guys, you be sure and tell 'em that this is for Maigan!"

Col. Lennox was about to answer the man when his attention was diverted by a tap on his shoulder.

"Amber and I got some of her clothes together, but I'm not sure how much time we've got, so I don't know how much you're willing to let her grab." Mikeala informed him.

"Sam! Give these two a hand at packing, and tell Epps, Gunny, and Fig to help. I want as much of her belongings rounded up as possible. Be sure and tell them that we're short on time as well." Col. Lennox ordered after thinking about it for a second.

Bob watched the young woman and the girl carry a pair of suitcases to the old grey LTD and place them in the trunk, before he turned back to the military officer in front of him. "Amber huh? I always thought her name was Maigan." Bob spoke up suspiciously.

"Well, from what I understand, they changed her first name and kept changing her last name, so she's probably a victim of kidnapping as well." Col. Lennox said factually.

Bob nodded heavily in understanding. "You... you just keep her safe, okay?"

"Sir... Considering that she has possession of the same classified information that her assailants do, and that she is more than happy to cooperate with us, she is now under the protection of the _best_ military forces in the world." Col. Lennox said with a genuine smile. "She'll be safe, and well taken care of. You have my solemn and personal guarantee on that."

"Thank you, Colonel. That means a lot to me. I'll go tell the others that she's going to be okay. They've been burning up the phone lines wanting to know what was happening, and now I can actually give them some good news." He said with heartfelt feeling. "It's a small neighborhood Colonel, and we try to look out for each other here, but that's not always easy." Bob added as he once again shook the Colonel's hand.

Col. Lennox turned and went inside the house where he saw the signs of a rushed evacuation. Some pictures were missing, along with a few other personal items. Epps and Fig had disconnected a large sixty inch High Definition plasma screen TV and were about to take it out to load it up as well.

"What are you _doing_?" Will demanded in disbelief.

"Hey, after what she been through... she's _havin_ this!" Epps answered emphatically.

"Yeah, this, and anything _else_ we can grab, Colonel!" Fig added angrily.

"And just where do you plan on putting that stuff?" Will demanded curiously.

"Tha's an easy one, Sir. Ratchet said we could put the fragile stuff in his bay, and Hide said we could load up his bed. Even Optimus said he'd carry a few things if he needs to; plus, we still got the trunks of both Bee and Bluestreak that we can fill. We're takin _everything_!" Fig answered in heavily accented English.

Will's eyebrows rose at that answer, but he declined to comment on it. Hearing activity in a room down the hall, he went to investigate.

Both Mikeala and Amber were standing back out of the way while staring in wide eyed disbelief as Sam and the Gunnery Sergeant shoved Amber's clothes into garbage sacks with a speed that was clearly horrifying to them. Blouses and skirts were going into one bag, while stockings and underwear were being thrown into a second bag. The two men were whirlwind style packing machines that were getting things done in record time.

Will took one look at their faces and decided that they needed a little reassurance. "Those can be ironed later. For right now, we need to grab this stuff in a hurry. Amber why don't you pack up those models of yours, and the pictures or anything else you want to keep and load it in Bluestreak's trunk." He suggested.

Amber nodded her head a little nervously. She'd already changed her clothes, but was told that she didn't have time to get herself cleaned up. She began gathering her Gundam statues, and putting them in a box that Sam had brought in, before she got her laptop and other computer accessories together. She and Mikeala took a load out to put in Bluestreak's trunk, and when she got back, the two men were taking her bed and furniture apart so that could be taken as well.

"Are you taking my bed too?" She asked with wide eyes.

"Yeah, kid. Ironhide said we could put it in his bed, so we're taking it and everything else in here too." Romero told her.

Amber nodded her head and started gathering up all of her Anime and Hentai DVD's from her own room along with the DVD's from the living room and the master bedroom. Those she placed in a bag with some of her art supplies, before she took the bag out and placed it in the back seat of the LTD known as Bluestreak.

Within twenty minutes after getting there, the four soldiers, along with help from Sam, Mikeala, and Amber herself had loaded everything she owned, along with the entertainment system from the living room, and the computers from the living room and the master bedroom. Then Epps and Fig walked out with a pair of large ice chests.

"I think this is the last of it. Fig and I grabbed a ton snacks, and a bunch of stuff from the fridge, so we'll be good to go on the plane." Epps said with a grin.

"Is there anything else you want from here Amber? We won't be coming back, so if something gets left behind then that's it." Will said somberly.

"That... That's all of it." Amber said with a disbelieving shake of her head. She'd seen her bed dismantled and loaded even faster than she could pack up her smaller items.

"Well then, in that case, let's get on the road." Will said with a grin.


	5. Chapter 5

Alone Nevermore 5

Amber sat in the passenger seat sipping on her root beer float. She wasn't talking much, but instead was listening to Bluestreak as he caught up on things with Arcee, Mikeala, and the others. A glance in the side view mirror showed her the dirty smudges on her face. A sudden burst of anger accompanied by an idea, and she was tucking her drink between her side and the seat belt. Then she licked her fingers and used one of the napkins that came with the food to try getting the dirt off her face.

Sitting right next to her in the front seat, Mikeala couldn't help but notice what Amber was trying to do. She was used to grunging out and getting ridiculously filthy while working on cars, bikes, or even the occasional Autobot, but she hated getting dirty when she was trying to present a decent appearance. She turned her head out the window and spoke to the Blue Arcee unit who was holding position next to Bluestreak as they made their way down the highway. "Can you get my purse from Sam for me? It's in Bee's front seat." Mikeala asked the Blue Arcee unit.

"Sure. Back in a minute." Blue Arcee said with a smile.

Mikeala watched in the side view mirror as Arcee dropped back beside the yellow scout for a moment. She saw Sam hang her purse on the handlebars right before the Blue Arcee unit sped up alongside once more.

"You'll have to grab it, since my hologram isn't completely solid." Arcee said apologetically.

"Hey, no problem! Thanks for getting it for me." Mikeala replied as she quickly dug through her purse to retrieve a few small packets.

"Here, use these. They work a lot better." Mikeala said as she offered Amber a few packets of wet naps.

Amber smiled gratefully as she accepted the packets, and immediately tore one open to begin using it to clean her face and arms. "Thank you. I've _never_ looked this bad. I never even looked this bad on the hunting trips I took with my Papas."

"Hey, it's no problem. Besides, Ratchet has a full set of showers with tubs at the base, so you can get cleaned up properly once we're there. Those will help for now, though." Mikeala answered easily.

"I don't know why you think your appearance might be unacceptable Amber. You look just fine to me. Now that you have food to eat, you're safe from those men, and I have the other Autobots to help me make sure that you stay safe; things should get a lot better. I don't know what kind of base we have here, but since some of the other Autobots are there I'm sure you'll like it. I mean, Jazz is there, and everybody likes Jazz. Even a lot of the Decepticons like Jazz when they don't like anyone else, and they're not nice people at all. So, that should tell you what kind of bot Jazz really is." Bluestreak chimed in.

"Bluestreak, there is one thing you should know about humans. Us girls can be almost as concerned about our appearance as Sunstreaker is about his. Although, I don't think _anyone_ can actually be as bad as he is." Mikeala said with a chuckle.

"So, obtaining clean clothing wasn't acceptable then?" Bluestreak asked curiously.

"No, Bluestreak, it wasn't. Not when what she _really_ wants is a nice long visit to the wash racks." Mikeala replied factually.

"What are wash racks?" Amber asked curiously, as she removed the last of the dirt stains from her face.

"Wash racks are like giant showers that are big enough for the Autobots to use." Mikeala answered easily.

"That's something I'm _really_ looking forward to, right after Ratchet gets me all fixed up. I've got grit in my joints from I don't know how many different worlds. But then it _has_ been a very long time since I've had access to a wash rack. Oh... but fresh grease and oil also sound really good right now. I can't _wait_ to get to the base!" Bluestreak exclaimed excitedly.

"Why do I not find that hard to believe?" Mikeala laughed.

Amber was now looking around Bluestreak's interior with wide eyes. Now that she knew where some of the dirt she was seeing had come from, it was a very strange feeling to know that it had come from outer space.

When she looked back out the windshield, Amber saw that they were stopping at the gate to an army base of some kind. She sat quietly as the army men looked through each of the cars ahead, before they came to the one she was in. Mikeala was already holding her ID card in her hand, and the guard gave it a thorough examination. Then he looked over at Amber.

"So you're the young lady with classified information on a local terrorist group, huh?" The MP demanded sternly.

Amber suddenly looked stricken. She knew from many of the anime shows that she watched what 'classified' meant. That was when she knew, just _knew,_ that she was now in far more trouble than she had ever been with her Papas. She was about to start crying as she tried to give some type of answer when the guard turned and headed to the next vehicle in the line.

"Relax Amber. I'm not sure who came up with the idea, but it should work. That's just the cover story that we're giving them so they don't try to ask you any questions. If they don't ask you anything, then you can't give them the wrong answer, now can you?" Mikeala said quickly to reassure the girl who was obviously starting to panic.

"How do I know that I'm not really in trouble?" Amber asked worriedly.

"Because you haven't done anything wrong. If they really started asking questions, then _we'd_ be the ones in trouble, because we don't even know your last name. That would get all kinds of police involved, and then they'd find out about the Autobots, and _then_ there would _really_ be some trouble!" Mikeala answered honestly.

"The Autobots are a secret, aren't they?" Amber asked still worried.

"Yeah; _TOP_ secret! So don't _ever_ tell anyone about them okay? Not about Bluestreak or any of them. If you ever do; then you'll _really_ be in serious trouble! The people at the White House are very serious about this, Amber. They made Sam and his family swear to secrecy, and they made me swear to secrecy so that if we ever tell, we'll be locked up in prison for the rest of our lives." Mikeala said seriously.

"I swear I won't tell anyone about Bluestreak or any of the others. One thing I'm really good at is keeping secrets." Amber said as she finished sadly.

Mikeala had to think about that for a moment as she tried to understand what the girl meant. Then the realization suddenly dawned on her and she turned to face the girl with a serious expression. "You mean you didn't tell _anyone_ about what they were doing to you?" Mikeala stared at the girl in disbelief as Amber silently shook her head. "Oh God, Amber! That's something you should _not_ have kept a secret! The only reason they were able to keep on doing that to you, is because you didn't tell anyone. I know you think it's embarrassing, but you have to trust me on this. Getting raped wasn't my fault. It wasn't because of something I did; it was because of _him_! What happened to you wasn't your fault either! What they did to you was against the law, and they will go to prison for that for a long time." She said as she shook her head in disbelief.

"God! I felt so horrible after what Jason did to me. I kept thinking that there must have been something I had done to cause it. I kept being stupid and blaming myself. But I was wrong. It wasn't my fault, because I hadn't done anything to deserve that! You didn't do anything to deserve what they were doing to you. Not even once! Understand me? _They_ are the ones at fault, and _they_ are the ones who will get punished for it..."

"They told me that I was so bad that my mom and dad didn't want me anymore, and that was why I had to live with them. They said that they were the only ones who would love a kid who was as bad as I had been." Amber interrupted as tears began running down her face.

"It doesn't matter what they said because they were _lying_ to you! I know that I don't know the whole story, Amber, but I can you tell this much; _you didn't do anything wrong!_" Mikeala finished with emphasis.

Amber wanted to believe what the young woman was telling her; oh how she wanted to believe it! But for far too many years she had been told the exact opposite by the four men that she had come to love. That was a very large part of her problem. She _did_ love them, and the only thing that she really hated about the four men she'd been living with had been the horrible things that they had done to her, and that they had made her do with them. Amber stayed silently thoughtful as she honestly considered what Mikeala had told her. She was so deep in thought that she didn't even notice as the small convoy began moving again.

For his part, Bluestreak had remained quiet because he had no idea what to say in order to help Amber. He sincerely hated the fact that she had started crying, but he knew from what Mikeala kept saying that she was genuinely trying to help Amber. This whole situation made him feel so helpless, because he didn't have the slightest idea what he could do or say to make his new friend feel better. Her anguish and pain was something that tore at his spark and ate away at his processors to leave him feeling like an empty useless shell. Suddenly his attention was drawn to Mikeala as she asked something that he couldn't believe.

"Huh? Sorry, I wasn't really listening." Amber apologized while still crying.

"I want to know if you trust Bluestreak." Mikeala reiterated clearly.

"Why wouldn't I? He saved me when… when my Papas wanted to kill me. He turned on the heater for me when I was cold and wet. He didn't have to let me know what he was, but he did. He even made a knife so I could fix something to eat last night, and then he slept in the rain, while he kept me warm and dry in his hands. Even when my Papas were shooting him, he just kept trying to make sure they couldn't hurt me, even though their guns were hurting him." Amber protested hotly.

"Then I want you to promise me something. I want you to promise that even if you don't want me or anyone else to know about stuff… if anything like that ever happens again; just promise me that you'll tell Bluestreak. Okay?" Mikeala asked sincerely.

Amber nodded her head solemnly. She really wasn't sure why this woman was asking her to trust Bluestreak when she knew that the two had never met before. The fact that Mikeala _was_ asking her to trust Bluestreak, when the woman didn't know anything except what she'd been told by other robots, went a long way towards saying what type of person Bluestreak really was.

As she turned her attention to where they were, and where they were going, Amber saw that they were about to come to a stop at a runway with a _huge_ airplane parked on it. The nose of the plane was made into a huge door that was currently open so that the whole front of the plane was accessible. Amber gaped in astonished disbelief at the sheer size of the aircraft.

The C-5 transport; known to all military personnel as the '_Galaxy_', was, without question, the single _largest_ form of aerial transportation available anywhere in the world. Able to hold and fly with more than a dozen M1-A1 Abrams tanks, plus the required support equipment and personnel contained inside, it was the kind of thing that boggled the mind to actually _see_ in person.

Amber sat and gaped in silence as the small convoy pulled _into_ the plane, and parked with lots of room in between the different vehicles. Unable to believe that several cars and trucks were all in the same plane; it was nearly a minute before Amber realized that everyone was getting out of the different cars and trucks that were actually robots. She decided to stay put as Mikeala got out and went over to talk with Sam who was still standing next to the yellow sports car that she knew was Bumblebee.

Amber was so awed by the sheer incredible size of the plane, that she didn't even notice it when Colonel Lennox leaned down to look in Bluestreak's driver's side window.

"Amber? Uh… you're going to have to get out and have a seat somewhere. We've got forty minutes before our scheduled takeoff, and we need to get the Autobots strapped down. That also means that you need to be in one of the jump seats before takeoff." Col. Lennox instructed lightly.

"Why do they have to be strapped down? Does that mean Bluestreak too?" Amber asked suddenly.

"Everything has to be strapped down, and not just the Autobots. And yes, that means Bluestreak too, because if we hit some turbulence we don't want any of them getting thrown into the side of the plane. The hull is only made of aluminum, and they'll punch right through it if that happens. We'll be at thirty thousand feet, and if they go through the side they'll be killed when they hit the ground, just like you or me. They're very tough because they're made of metal that we don't know how to make, but they can still get hurt or killed, and _no_ one wants that to happen. So… safety first. Besides, we have to be strapped in for both take off and landing too. Sorry, but I don't make the rules, I just follow 'em." Colonel Lennox answered with a friendly lecture that he'd had given to recruits before.

"Amber, you really _should_ find someplace safe to sit. I've been through turbulence once and that's how I got knocked off course and damaged in the first place. Although now that I think about it. That was actually very lucky, since I was able to meet you and end up with a new friend, because if I had never gotten knocked off course, I never would have been at that rest stop, and then I never would have met you, and then those men…" The grey Autobot was unable to bring himself to continue any further as his vocal processor seemed to freeze in mid sentence.

Bluestreak felt a wave of pure terror shoot through his spark with the power of one of Ironhide's cannons as he thought about what would have happened to Amber if he hadn't been there. Even as he felt the fear grip his spark in such a painful manner, he also felt his combat systems become active with the need to protect his new friend who was also now his charge. It was a very disturbing sensation to the Autobot gunner to realize that a mere thought could instantly trigger, and initialize programs, that he would have sworn were slow to activate even when they were actually needed. Then, another thought occurred to him, and he quickly got a very sinking feeling in his spark.

"How can I make sure that Amber is okay if I'm strapped down and can't move? What if we hit some of that turbulence and it messes up this aerial vehicle? What if this thing gets damaged and we have to abandon it? How would she be protected if that happens?" Bluestreak questioned suddenly.

"I'll be with her the whole time, and I'll make sure that you can see both of us, Bluestreak. Will that be acceptable? If anything happens to this plane, I'll make sure that she stays safe, since I am small enough to use human safety equipment, I'd be able to keep her with me. Fair enough?" The Pink Arcee unit asked as she wheeled over with a parachute already strapped to her back.

"I know you're not very happy with this, Bluestreak, but this won't be the first time, or even the fifth time for me, so I really don't have any problem helping you out. Besides, I sort of like Amber, and I'll be looking forward to the chance to get to know her better." Pink Arcee added reassuringly.

"Are you _sure_ that this thing is safe enough for her to be traveling on? What if something happens? What if the Decepticons attack?" Bluestreak demanded in a near panic.

_(Just remember that I still have the same sparkling care protocols that you do, Bluestreak. That means that I'd be perfectly willing to give my life to protect Amber if I have to. All of the Autobots would. Amber is perfectly safe here and I need you to trust me on this. Optimus and Ratchet both know what is going on with your programming right now and either of them would die while protecting Amber. If you don't believe me on that, then you can ask Sam about the time when Optimus died while protecting him from the Decepticons. I promise you and I am giving you my word both as your friend and as a fellow Autobot, that I will personally protect Amber with my spark.)_ Arcee added quickly over the comm system so that Amber wouldn't hear it.

"I tell you what. Amber can have a seat right here during the flight. That way the two of you can see and talk to each other the whole way. How does that sound?" Lennox said as he unfolded a section of jump seats. "I'll even fold out enough of 'em so that if she wants to grab a few winks, she can lay down and sleep during the flight."

_(Thank you Arcee. I can't really tell you how much it means for me to make sure that Amber is safe right now. I don't know that much about humans and the only two that I really know are Amber and Mikeala. Even though I only met her a few hours ago, Mikeala seems like a very nice person, and she is willing to help even though you told her that I could become dangerous if I thought that something was wrong with Amber. But… please, please don't let them strap me down!)_ Bluestreak said as he finished in a tone that was near pleading with the femme."Thank you Colonel Lennox. I appreciate that." Bluestreak answered the soldier in a voice that was only slightly relieved.

"Just relax Bluestreak. This flight will be over in a few short hours. I will be right here with you and so will Amber. You are _not_ alone, and you will not be _left_ alone; understand? Just think of this as similar to being in your comet form for a short while." Pink Arcee said to the car that was starting to visibly shake a little.

"Does he have a problem with being alone for some reason?" Lennox asked quickly as he picked up on the emphasis of the femme's words.

"Yes, Colonel, he does. Bluestreak has a very real and very understandable fear of being alone or restrained. When he was much younger, his… neighborhood was destroyed by the Decepticons. Bluestreak was trapped and pinned in the rubble, unable to move. His only company was the deceased bodies of his friends, family, and neighbors for nearly two of your years." The Pink Arcee unit began heavily. "That is why I am trying to reassure him, because every time that he _is_ alone, he starts to remember that time when he was trapped. It terrifies him to no end, and being restrained is something that he also can't handle very well."

"That's why you wanted me to stay and talk to you isn't it? Because you hate to remember that!" Amber blurted suddenly.

"Yes, Amber. I told you that I start to remember bad things when I'm alone." Bluestreak answered dejectedly as he wondered if Amber would now want nothing to do with him.

"Can I stay here as long as I wear the seat belt? That counts as sitting down doesn't it?" Amber asked as she looked over at Lennox.

Colonel Lennox shook his head solemnly. "Sorry Amber, but it doesn't work that way. The regulations state that _all_ vehicles _must_ be unoccupied during transport. Those are the rules, and there isn't anything I can do to change that. I will let you stay there for as long as I can though, and when you do get out there are seats right over there along the wall for you to sit during take off and landing. The rest of the time, you can sit next to Bluestreak if you want." He said in an attempt to reason with the girl.

"I just don't want to get in trouble… and I don't want Bluestreak in trouble either!" Amber said softly while looking down at her lap.

"No one is in trouble, Amber. And as long as you stay close to Bluestreak and I during the flight, and you do as Colonel Lennox asks, then no one will get in trouble either! I won't leave Bluestreak alone during the flight, and I'll make sure that you can stay close enough to talk to him the whole time. Is that fair enough?" The Pink Arcee unit asked as her other two frames approached.

Bluestreak couldn't believe his audio receptors. He had been _sure_ that since Amber now knew why he didn't like to be alone, that she wouldn't want anything to do with a glitched mech like him. But instead of trying to get away from him, she had tried to logically argue her way into staying in his cabin during the up coming flight! As much as his small charge had been through, she still seemed to care enough that she didn't want to leave him by himself. It was a realization that warmed Bluestreak's spark.

For her part, Amber wasn't very happy about being among so many strangers who knew her horrible secret. She had never wanted anyone to know about the things she had been made to do. The only one that she really knew anything about was Mikeala. She knew a little about Arcee from talking to her a bit, but if she were to admit the truth then she would have to say that she didn't even know Bluestreak all that well. She felt that she could trust Bluestreak because he had even gotten shot and hurt while trying to save her life. He had done a lot of things to help her during the previous night. Even now when he was scared, he was still worried about whether or not she was going to be okay. It was a little unnerving for her to be the focus of that type of attention.

Having waited until the last second to leave Bluestreak's front seat, Amber had done as she was told, even though she wasn't very happy about it. The instant she was told by Arcee, that she could unbuckle herself and move around the plane, she moved to sit quietly on the floor next to the cargo netting holding the old grey LTD, which was her friend named Bluestreak, in place. She sat on her butt, with her legs bent at the knees to her right, and her weight was resting on her left hand. Apparently lost in her thoughts, Amber didn't look at anyone else or speak to them.

What Amber didn't know, was that at the moment, there were no less than three sets of scanners focused on her. Bluestreak kept running an intermittent scan to assure himself that she was doing okay. Arcee was doing much the same thing, because she could see that the girl appeared to be apprehensive about something. Ratchet, on the other hand, was running a constant scan of the girl. Every millimeter of internal damage and scarring was being mapped, while at the same time vital signs were being constantly monitored for any signs of extreme stress.

The Autobot's Chief Medical Officer was _not_ happy with the results of his constant scans. The young human was far too apathetic for his liking. Unfortunately, the medic knew that there was absolutely nothing he could do until they reached the Base in Nevada. The only thing he could do until then was maintain a careful monitor on her, and notify Arcee if he detected anything that looked any more out of the ordinary than it already was.

Arcee was wracking the processors in all three of her frames as she considered what to do about Amber. She'd heard every word that Mikeala said to Amber during their private conversation, because Bluestreak had taken Mikeala at her word and maintained a comm signal to her, even though she had made sure not to reveal that comm line. Each time she looked at the girl, she felt as if her spark was being slowly torn from her chest. Even if she were to completely disable and delete her sparkling care protocols, she would still want to help Amber in some way. The only problem was that she had no idea how to go about doing that.

Optimus Prime might not have been saying anything out loud, but he was saying a lot over his comm system. He'd already relayed everything he knew about the young girl along with a detailed scan of her to Prowl in the hope that she could be properly identified and her attackers could be apprehended; otherwise, there was nothing more for him to do on that score. The matter of Bluestreak becoming her Guardian was another matter entirely. He'd had to inform the Secretary of Defense what he knew about Amber, which included the changed first name along with the constantly changing last name. Upon receiving such disturbing information, John Keller had immediately told Optimus that the girl could be considered to be under the protective custody of the newly formed Terrestrial Special Forces for the time being as a temporary measure until more could be discovered about the girl and her attackers. Optimus had welcomed the decision that placed Amber under the care of the T.S.F. It was a decision that meant that she would be cared for by both the best of the human military forces, and their Autobot allies.

"Hey! Would you do me a favor and find out if Amber wants anything to eat? Tell her that Epps grabbed all the snacks and drinks from her house while we were there. So if she wants anything during the flight, she gets first choice." Lennox said to the Blue Arcee unit earnestly.

"I'm not so sure that this is a good time to offer Colonel. She seems rather listless, and I've _never_ heard Bluestreak remain silent this long unless he was in recharge." The Blue Arcee unit answered.

"Look, at least make the offer. We've got to do something to take her mind off of dwelling on this mess. I know it won't be easy, but we've got to _try_. And Mikeala was right about one thing. She's not going to want anything to do with a man right now, so that means we need _you_ to ask her." Col. Lennox quickly explained.

As the right arm of her pink frame reached towards the girl to gain her attention, Arcee was surprised when Amber reacted almost as if she'd be struck, and immediately moved to avoid being touched. The expression on the girl's face was one that tore at her spark. A blatant mixture of apprehension and even fear were both there to be seen. "Relax Amber. I just wanted to ask if you'd like a snack or something. Apparently while we were at your home, Sergeant Epps grabbed all of the snacks along with a cooler full of drinks and other cold stuff. Col. Lennox says that the first choice rightfully belongs to you." The Pink Arcee unit said softly.

"Amber, you should try to eat and drink something, because I'm sure that you could use the fuel… oh… wait! You call it food instead of fuel, don't you? Although I don't see why calling it fuel wouldn't be more appropriate since it fuels your body for growth and general health. Do you think it would be okay if I called it fuel? I'm not really sure how other humans would view that term, but it makes more sense to me if I call it fuel. Does it bother you if I call it fuel? I won't call it fuel if you don't want me to, but I still think you need some of it." Bluestreak added entreatingly.

Amber let out a half hearted snicker at the mech's words. "I'm not really hungry right now, Bluestreak. Plus, I did get a bunch of food from Sonic, and there's still some of it left…" Amber replied.

"I know you got some extra fuel for later. I'm not really sure what kind of fuel it is, but it's still sitting in my front seat and with the cargo net on top of me, so you can't get to it. And from what I found on that internet thing last night before all those _horrible_ sites hit me, was that you need three full meals and preferably a snack or two as well. You've only had one meal to eat today, and you haven't eaten any snacks yet. So don't you think you should try to eat something?" Bluestreak said as he interrupted her.

Amber looked up at the Pink Arcee unit that was kneeling next to her. "Did they bring any of the fruit? I'm not really all that big on the chips and stuff, because that was all for my Papas, and I never liked to get into their stuff."

After seeing the expression on Amber's face, she knew that the girl considered it to be a very slim chance that the soldiers had obtained the fruit along with any other items they had grabbed.

"Amber is hoping that you might have gotten some of the fruit while you were at it. She says that she isn't really fond of the other stuff." The Blue Arcee relayed quickly.

"Yeah, we grabbed all of that. There are three apples, some bananas, and I'm not really sure what the rest of it is, but she's welcome to it. It's all hers anyway, so if she wants dibs on the fruit, she's _got_ it!" Epps answered quickly as he began digging through one of the coolers to retrieve the fruit that Fig had stuffed in a bag. "Here… take her this, and tell her that it's all for her."

"Thank you Sergeant." Blue Arcee said with a smile as she took the bag and headed towards the back of the aircraft.

"I've got something for you Amber. It seems that Fig grabbed all of the fruit that was at your house. Colonel Lennox and the others are fairly insistent that you take it." The Pink Arcee unit said softly while forcing a smile onto her face.

"Are you _sure_ they didn't want any?" Amber asked quickly.

Only someone who knew the femme fairly well would have been able to tell that it was a somewhat sad smile that graced Arcee's faceplates as she looked at the girl in front of her. "Sergeant Epps doesn't even know what some of this stuff is. So that should tell you that they would really prefer that you take it Amber. It would really make them feel better if you did. It would also make me feel a little better too."

"You're not the only one who would feel better if she ate something! What I learned after Amber went into recharge, or sleep, was that what she ate last night was not a very healthy or balanced meal. And she missed breakfast this morning, and couldn't get anything to drink either. So I really think you should take the fuel Amber. I know that sparklings need lots of fuel and recharge, and missing out on fuel like you did can't be very good for you. So please eat something, okay?" Bluestreak added entreatingly.

"I'm really not very hungry right now, but… okay, Bluestreak." Amber answered reluctantly as she took the bag that the Blue Arcee unit was holding out to her. She reached in and got a handful of dates. She set the bag on the floor beside her, leaned back against the front of the passenger side of Bluestreak's alt mode near his bumper, and began eating a piece of fruit, while being careful not to get any of the juice all over the place or on her clothes.

As she studied the girl in front of her, Arcee noticed something about the way Amber was dressed, and decided to try acting on what she surmised. Her Pink frame stood up and headed towards the front of the plane while her Blue Frame remained near the seated girl. It was obvious that Amber had in fact changed her clothes, because the white stockings that she was wearing now went to just above her knees and were clean. The royal blue skirt was also clean, and just as before, it went down to mid thigh. The girl was wearing a clean white long sleeved blouse, and had a pair of blue ribbons holding her hair in a pair of pony tails to each side of her head. Judging from the ensemble, the girl might have some type of predilection for the color blue, since what she was wearing now, was simply a variation of what she'd been wearing earlier.

Arcee would have quickly admitted that it was a long shot, with little chance of scoring a hit. But there was still the off chance that Amber just might open up to her Blue Frame more readily than she would for one of the others, and that was something that Arcee couldn't be sure of unless she tried. Hope started to flare within the femme when Amber finished eating some of her fruit and studied her silently for several minutes.

"Arcee? All of the Autobots are supposed to be a secret, right?" Amber asked apprehensively.

"Well, for the time being, yes. Eventually there will come a time when we won't need to be kept a secret anymore, and then our existence and presence would be revealed to the rest of this world. Why?" Arcee explained patiently.

"Well, if you're still supposed to be a secret, then how do I know that they're not going to put me in jail because I know about you, when I'm not supposed to?" Amber asked with tears forming in her hazel eyes.

Arcee moved her Blue Frame next to the worried girl and sat down next to her. Amber had made it obvious that she didn't want to be touched right now, so Arcee was careful to avoid that while getting as close as possible to offer what comfort and emotional support she could.

"I want you to listen to me Amber. They will _not_ put you in jail because you know about us. I know that for a fact, because they haven't put anyone else in jail who found out about our existence when we are supposed to be a secret. The Government knows that any secret as big as we are can't be kept forever. I'll admit that so far we've been very lucky in that the people who _have_ found out about us are the kind of people that we can trust, and the kind who are willing to keep our secret as well. I know you wouldn't tell anyone about us Amber, because you've kept silent about a secret _far_ more serious than anything regarding us. I don't know if you feel like talking about anything right now, but if you ever do feel like talking, Bluestreak is very good at listening, and so am I. So anytime you want or need someone to talk to, I want you to feel free to come talk to either one of us. It doesn't even have to be about anything important either. I usually keep one of my frames close to Bluestreak so he doesn't have to be alone. I know he's a very pleasant bot to be around, but I also know that sometimes you'll want another female to speak with, and if you do, just remember that I'm available whenever you need me, okay?" Arcee said gently.

Arcee could see that the girl was considering what she'd been told, and that was good. She was positive that Amber needed to know that she had friends who were willing to help her. Now, she just hoped to Primus that she could convince the girl of that fact. "You really should try to cheer up some, Amber. This isn't the end of the world, you know?" Arcee told her in a much lighter tone.

"Why isn't it?" Amber retorted morosely.

"Because, I think this is going to be the start of a new life for you, a much happier one, too."

"You really mean that?"

"Of course I mean that! Bluestreak will even help me make sure of it, won't you Bluestreak?"

"Of course I would help! I'd be glad to help. The Autobots helped me to start a new life after… after what happened to me. They didn't have to, but they did, and I know that this isn't exactly the same Amber, but I know you'll have a chance to be happy now. The Autobots won't make you play any of those games that you don't like, and I'll be able to make _sure_ that you don't ever have to play them again! Those men won't ever be able to hurt you either, because Sunstreaker and Sideswipe will be there, and even if they're out on patrol or on a mission, Ironhide or Chromia would be there, and their cannons are _really_ powerful! Then there's Jazz, he can sneak up on them so quietly that they'll never know he was there! He's really good at that, and Arcee may have three small frames, but she can triple team someone so fast it will make your processors freeze, because she'll attack from three different angles at the same time, and you never know which frame will hit you next. That's really strange though because Arcee doesn't like to fight, but she's really good at it. Personally, I think she'd rather sit down somewhere with some good energon and someone nice to talk to while they relax, because she's really a nice bot to be around. I know the twins can be a little scary sometimes, but they don't really mean anything by it. They just get bored easily, and then they end up doing something that gets them in trouble with Prowl or Ratchet. But it doesn't really matter to me if the others are a little different or not, because they're all Autobots like me and we all help each other! Isn't that right, Arcee?" Bluestreak quickly answered after pausing in his commed conversation to Optimus.

"Yes, it is. And we're going to help you too, Amber. So things haven't been pleasant for you in the past, that won't stop us from trying to improve your future…" Arcee broke off as Amber dropped her head, and she saw at once that the girl was ashamed of what her past contained.

The Blue Arcee frame reached out and gently lifted Amber's chin so that the girl was once again looking at her. "We don't judge people by what happened to them Amber. _Especially_ when it wasn't their fault! If that was the case, then no one would even bother speaking to Bluestreak, and I probably would have been left to die. Neither of those things has happened, and they _won't_ happen either! _All_ of the Autobots know that Bluestreak doesn't like to be alone, so we try very hard to keep someone else close to him at all times. I don't know all of the facts about your situation, and to me those facts don't really matter. What matters to me right now, is you. Those men _knew_ that what they had done to you was wrong, or they wouldn't have tried to hide it. You don't have to worry anymore, Amber, and you don't need to be afraid, because you are with us now, you're safe, and we aren't going to allow anything to happen to you, okay?"

Amber nodded her head a little reluctantly. There were several things that she wasn't sure about right then. For one thing, she wasn't entirely convinced that she could trust Arcee. She knew that Arcee was from outer space like Bluestreak was, but she knew that Arcee had also been on Earth for a while, that Arcee was an adult, and that she didn't really feel that she could trust an adult after what had happened to her yesterday. In her mind, Bluestreak was somehow different, because even though he was also an adult, there was just something about him that told her she could trust the alien robot. It wasn't that she didn't like Arcee, because she was sort of starting to like her. Instead it was more that every form of trust she had ever placed in someone had been brutally betrayed.

Amber watched silently as the cargo nets were removed from the Autobots and the instant that he was free; she climbed into Bluestreak's passenger seat. Seconds later, the Autobots disembarked from the plane at Nellis. Colonel Lennox had already spoken at length with the General in command of the Base, and had been given permission to move the girl and her belongings into a set of empty quarters. Custody of the girl was yet to be formally decided, but it was determined that she would be under the unwavering supervision of the group known as 'The Gatekeepers'.

The Gatekeepers were a group of volunteers that worked closely with the Chaplin of the base. Their job, their purpose, was to ensure the safety of anyone who might have any type of cause to contemplate suicide; those who had lost family members to tragedy, those who had lost team members to combat, and in some cases, rape victims as well. Comprised of both female and male service members, they were always assigned to watch over a member of their own gender. The Gatekeepers were there to be the friend one needed when the entire world had seemed to turn its back. They didn't judge or even ask questions of their charge, instead they simply offered a constant unwavering companionship for the person they were assigned to help.

Although there were many that served as volunteers for the group, only those who were actually on the Chaplin's roster were given any type of command in the group because they had each been through _hundreds_ of hours of special training and classes in order to know what signs to look for, and how to best assist those they were to help. Those who _were_ on the Chaplin's roster were assisted by many trained volunteers who were able and willing to lend their assistance, so that there were never fewer than two observing the suffering individual, and often as many as five. Never pressuring their charge to talk about whatever the problem might be, they simply allowed their constant presence, availability, and time to do what was needed in getting the person to talk to them. Friendship, companionship, and camaraderie were always right at hand when they were assigned. Simultaneously acting as both friends and protectors, they were the ones who placed themselves firmly between their charge and the pressures and burdens of the world so that the person who needed their help would have the chance, and the time to recover. They were known to often be fierce in defense of their charge if they thought it was needed, and woe betide the soldier or anyone else who crossed the charge of The Gatekeepers while they were on the job.

Captain Gail Summers of the United States Marines watched silently as several soldiers unloaded the personal belongings of her newest charge. She had been a few of the details that had been available to Colonel Lennox, and she had questioned him at some length concerning what he knew about the girl known only as Amber. A victim of rape, it was suspected that she might also be a victim of kidnapping as well. Then, there was the added incident of the girl's assailants actively trying to kill her. What little she had found out only raised more questions.

She observed quietly as Amber gaped at the men unloading her things and setting up some few pieces of furniture with the speed and efficiency that only military personnel were capable of. Bags of things were retrieved from the red and blue form of Optimus Prime, while a bed, dresser, small desk, and chest of drawers were unloaded from the black truck known as Ironhide. A very large television and entertainment system were removed from Ratchet's medical bay, and numerous bags of either clothes or other things were taken out of the trunks of both Bumblebee and a _very_ beat up old Ford LTD.

Captain Summers wasn't at all happy at the moment. This would be the first case she'd ever been assigned where the 'Charge' wasn't an adult. She had often worked with service personnel, and even the family members of service personnel, but never had she worked a case where the actual victim was so young. When Ratchet ordered Amber and several others to follow him to his medical bay for a thorough exam and medical check up, she immediately saw that she had a few minutes to brief some of the other members of The Gatekeepers who would also be assigned to watch over and guard the girl.

Amber followed all three of Arcee's frames, Mikeala, and Ratchet into the medical bay that had been set up for use by the Autobot CMO. It looked a lot like the emergency rooms she had seen in her movies, and everything she could see was either a sterile white or stainless steel. There was a slight chill in the room, and that wasn't something that helped to settle Amber's nerves. She had no idea why she had been asked to come here, or why Bluestreak had been told to wait outside, but she _did_ know that she wasn't very happy about being in the room.

"Amber, I need you to get up on this table so I can examine your injuries. What I'm going to do shouldn't hurt, so I want you to tell me if it does." Ratchet instructed in a kindly tone.

It was only with a deliberate effort that Ratchet had put aside his usual gruff and grouchy demeanor so that he could deal with Amber effectively. He knew from some of the information he'd acquired on humans, that many females who had suffered the horrible experience of being raped did _not_ want to have anyone or any_thing_ in close proximity to the areas of violation. Therefore, many of them would not easily or willingly submit to being examined in the way that was required for successful prosecution. It was the kind of thing that medical practitioners understood, and even sympathized with, but at the same time, it also made their job just that much more difficult.

Amber lay back on the bed with her legs open and tears forming in her eyes. She was scared… no, if she were to admit the truth, she was _terrified_ of what she thought was about to happen. Arcee, Mikeala, and Mrs. Lennox who was a Registered Nurse for Ratchet was there and they were talking to her. They each kept telling her to relax, and let Ratchet do his job, but she didn't want to do this anymore. When she felt the pressure of something between her legs, she couldn't stand it any longer.

"Please… I don't want to do this! I swear I'll do whatever you want, but please don't hurt me! Please don't do this… _please_! I can't grow back like they do in the movies!" Amber pleaded desperately with fresh tears streaming down her face as she began to frantically struggle to get away.

Both the pressure and the unwelcome penetration intensified for a moment before both disappeared, but it wasn't enough to stop her desperate pleading. "Please… just let me go, and I swear I'll never tell anyone." Amber begged in terrified tears.

Sarah Lennox had to struggle to keep a firm grip on her emotions while holding the girl so that Ratchet could retrieve what he needed. When the CMO quickly removed four separate samples to be sealed as evidence, she knew that it was over, and that she could now try to calm the girl down. "Hey, just relax, okay? He's done! He got what he needed. I know it was uncomfortable, but you're going to be okay. So just relax."

"Amber, _Amber_! Just calm down, okay? It's over. Nothing else is going to happen to you. Now come on, you can put your underwear back on, and lwe'll get you to a shower or tub where you can get cleaned up. You can even take as long as you want okay? I promise, no one's going to gripe or complain about you using all the hot water, and no one will say that you're taking too long. So you can spend as much time in there as you want." Mikeala said soothingly. "Hey, once you're done, I'll even give you a hand in unpacking the rest of your things, okay?"

Amber looked up at Ratchet with a disbelieving expression on her face, and tears still in her eyes. "Are you really done? You're not going to do anything _else_ to me?" She asked fearfully.

"I'm finished Amber. I just needed to obtain a few samples from you, and now that I have, I want you to get cleaned up properly. Take a shower or bath as Mikeala has suggested. While you're doing that, I'll see about getting Bluestreak's armor fixed. I would have started on him immediately, but I needed to take care of you first." Ratchet answered soothingly.

Ratchet turned to Mikeala and handed her a twelve ounce bottle of fluid. "I want you to have Amber cleanse herself with this. There are several things in it that will help for now. Mild topical pain killer, antibiotics, a spermicidal ingredient, along with a standard feminine wash." He told her quietly.

Mikeala nodded soberly, and turned back to see that Amber was read to leave.

As Mikeala and Arcee's Blue frame escorted Amber out of the medical bay, they met Bluestreak standing outside the door, accompanied by three women of the United States Marines.

"Amber! Are you okay? You've been crying; why? What's wrong? Did something happen in there? If Ratchet hurt you, I swear I'll…" Bluestreak began worriedly before he was cut off by Arcee.

"Amber's okay, Bluestreak! She just had to go through an examination that she didn't like and I think it frightened her, but Ratchet didn't hurt her, and he didn't threaten her in any way. In fact, he was actually much nicer, and more polite, than I've ever seen him. Mikeala was there, and so was a human medical technician to make sure that Amber was okay." Arcee's Blue frame stated firmly.

"I'm okay, Bluestreak… I thought he was going to do something else to me… but he didn't." Amber said as she looked up at the mech. Then she turned to face Arcee and Mikeala. "Can I really go take a shower now?"

"Yeah… you can. Come on, let's get you settled." Mikeala answered with a light smile.

As the three of them headed towards the set of rooms that had been assigned to Amber, they were quickly halted by an alarmed interrogation from Bluestreak.

"What are you doing? Why are you following Amber, and who are you?" Bluestreak demanded suddenly.

Captain Summers looked up at the now angry mech calmly. She'd been warned by Colonel Lennox that this particular mech could have some programming issues that would make him focus intently on Amber's safety and security, and that it would be inadvisable to expose Amber to any type of hazardous or potentially frightening situation while this mech was present.

"Your designation is Bluestreak, right? I'm Captain Gail Summers. I should inform you that Amber has been assigned to be placed under the watch of The Gatekeepers. The three of us here are a few of the members who have been assigned to ensure that Amber's okay. We will make certain that someone will be with her at all times to ensure that she stays that way. From what I've been told, this is something that you will also be doing. That's fine! We have no problem with that, and the assistance you can provide will be appreciated. Just remember that Amber _will_ come first! If you or anyone else interferes or causes a problem with that, then that individual_ will_ be dealt with." Capt. Summers answered firmly and without hesitation.

Bluestreak stared at the woman for a moment as he considered what she'd just said. He could clearly see that this human was very serious in her statement about Amber, and he then realized that there were now others who would help him take proper care of his new friend. "Good! As long as Amber's okay, then that's all I care about right now. I know that she wants to visit a wash rack and get herself cleaned up, and I think that's a really good idea, because that should make her feel much better. At least I think it would make her feel better. I know that it will make me feel better to get all the dirt out of my frame, so getting clean should have the same effect on her. I'm pretty sure that she'll also need something to eat fairly soon, because she missed eating what you call breakfast this morning, and while she did get extra fuel for lunch and eat some fruit on the plane, she will still need to eat again before she goes to sleep. I'm not really sure how long it will take Ratchet to fix my damage, but as soon as I'm free from the med bay, I'll come straight to where ever Amber is. I know that many bots wouldn't appreciate being told that others would also be watching their charge, because they would consider that to be some kind of insult, but since you seem to want to help Amber almost as much as I do, then I suppose that we can work together, right?" Bluestreak replied eagerly.

"Um… yeah! We can do that." Summers finally said after the mech _finally_ went silent. It was only her Military discipline that let her avoid making a comment on the rather rambling explanation from the mech.

"In the meantime, I'm sure she wants a shower or a bath, and I think we'd best get on with that. Besides, I'm sure that she still has some things that she'll want to put away, and set up her things to her preference." She added as she led Amber and the other women towards the dormitory area.

When Amber got to the set of rooms that had been assigned to her, she looked around at the rather strange layout. There was a bedroom, and a bathroom, but no living room or kitchen. She was sort of glad that the room was much bigger than her old one, but this one didn't have any shelves for her stuffed animals or her Gundam Wing statues. It made her wonder where she was going to put everything, or if she'd have to throw a lot of her things away. Her furniture had already been set up, but the sheets and blankets weren't on her bed yet. The trash bags that were full of her clothes, stuffed animals, and other things were piled against a couple of the walls.

When Amber saw this, and realized that she'd have to straighten everything out, fold all of her clothes again, and sort through a lot of the stuff before she could even get what she needed to take a shower, tears formed in her eyes. She hadn't asked for any of this to happen. She hadn't wanted her papas to get rid of her, and she _certainly_ hadn't asked for them to come back to kill her. But all of that had happened, and now she had to live with the results.

When Amber stopped in the doorway of her quarters and looked around at her things, Capt. Summers could see the tears that began to form a slow and silent trail down the girl's cheeks. A single glance around showed her nearly two dozen lawn sized trash bags that were stuffed full of the girl's belongings. That was when she understood what the problem was. "Looks like you need some help getting unpacked. Mind if I lend a hand?" Captain Summers asked casually.

Amber turned around to look at the woman who'd spoken to her, and reluctantly nodded her head.

"Looks like there's enough work for a few extra hands. What do say, Rachel?" Another woman spoke up as she picked up a bag of clothing and began pulling things out of it.

"Sounds good to me Kimberly. Hey, your name's Amber right? Why don't you just kick back and tell us where you want to put this stuff. I think it might go a little faster that way, because we'd have to ask where you want it anyway." Said a third woman as she, too, grabbed a bag of clothes to go through.

Amber stood there gaping in stunned disbelief as three women began pulling her clothes out of the trash bags and began to fold them while placing each of the items in neat stacks. Skirts went in this stack, while her blouses and shirts went into another stack.

While her clothes were being sorted, each of the women introduced themselves at various points. None of the women introduced themselves by their last names, but instead, asked that she call them by their first names. She learned that Gail was a Captain in the Marines, and that she was the highest in rank, Rachel was a Lieutenant with the Army, and Kimberly was a Sergeant Major in the Marines. Together the three women had gotten most of her clothes sorted out and put away.

"This is a nice collection you've got here, but I think we should put these aside for now, because you don't have any place to put 'em just yet." Gail suggested as she began setting the six bags of stuffed animals back against a wall. "Later we'll get someone to put some shelves in for you. Especially since it looks like you'll need 'em."

When the bag that contained her hygiene and grooming articles was found, Amber watched as her things were quickly placed in the bathroom, and she noted where everything was being put so she could take a shower when they were done. She didn't notice the curious looks that were made by the two women who had unpacked the bag, so she never saw the concerned expression of confusion at what appeared to be several months worth of supplies of feminine hygiene articles. Puzzled frowns at nine boxes of feminine wash, five cans of feminine deodorant, and four boxes of pads was an amount that might be used for a small platoon of women, but all of it was owned by one girl. It was something that raised questions that weren't asked, but still made the two wonder about it.

Arcee quickly found that she would only get in the way of the military women by trying to help, so she made a point to simply stand back and allow the women to work. One interesting thing that she noticed was that there were actually only two of the women unpacking at any given time, and that the third was actually watching or observing Amber. A subtle nod, or a single glance, and another woman would basically act as a replacement for the one who was doing the watching. The switches were made so casually and inconspicuously that Arcee was positive that very few others would have noticed it.

Mikeala simply watched as a near whirlwind of activity flurried through the room. She had known real quick from seeing how fast the stuff had been packed to begin with that she would only be in the way. Deciding that it would be a good time to do so, she placed the bottle of medicated wash in the bathroom, where she knew that Amber would find it. Then, following the hygiene articles, the women had discovered the girl's bedding, and Mikeala watched with interest as they quickly made it using the typical military style. A glance at Amber showed her the look of shocked disbelief when Gail literally tossed a quarter on the bed and watched it bounce a full foot in the air.

"I always thought that was a joke or something!" Mikeala said softly and couldn't help but let out a rueful half laugh at the surprised nod of agreement that she got from Amber.

"Nope! You learn it in Boot camp, and it stays with you for the rest of your life!" Kimberly said with a slight snicker.

When the last bag was opened, Amber saw that it was full of towels and washcloths. That was the only thing left to be found so that she could get herself cleaned up. She let out a heartfelt sigh of relief as she grabbed a pair of towels that were easily large enough to use on a beach, a washcloth, a change of clothes and went into the bathroom to take a shower.

Gail couldn't help but notice the panic stricken look on Amber's face as she followed the girl into the bathroom.

_**Author's Notes:** The Gatekeepers are a REAL Military organization who are exactly as I've described in this story. Next time you see them, PLEASE check the Missing Persons posters, you never know if you might see someone you recognize, after all, they have to be hidden somewhere!_


	6. Chapter 6

Alone Nevermore 6

Amber froze in fright at the sight of the soldier who had followed her into the bathroom. She knew, just _knew_ that she was now going to have to pay for everything by playing another game. She knew that she was still hurting from yesterday, and that while she had no idea what kind of things she would have to do with a woman, she didn't care what it was; she wanted no part of it. Even as fresh tears fell down her face, and her lips trembled, she was getting ready to start crying harder when the woman spoke.

"I'm sorry that we have to do this to you, Amber, but for right now, you aren't really allowed to remain alone until we know if you're okay. I know you've had a very rough time of things lately, or you wouldn't be moving in like this. But I want you to know that we're here to help in any way we can. Just because you're under guard doesn't mean that you have to stay cooped up in here all the time. You'll be able to go just about anywhere on the Base you like, except for any classified, or restricted areas. However, there will always be at least two people with you at all times. There's not anything that can be done about that for right now, so I'd like you to just try to make the best of this. You can visit with any of the Autobots anytime you want. From what he said earlier, it sounds like Bluestreak is a friend of yours, so I'm guessing that you'd want to visit with him. There's nothing wrong with that, and you can visit with him anytime you want for as long as you like. You just need to understand that there will be someone on hand with you. If you don't want them to hear what you talk about with an Autobot, that's also fine. We know that they can take care of themselves, and that they won't allow a human to get hurt, so you'll have whatever privacy you want with them, understand?" Gail explained as gently and as sympathetically as she could.

Amber backed up a couple of steps until she hit the far wall of the bathroom with a look of near panic on her face. "Even…" She didn't say anything more, but her quick glance at the small shower said everything that needed to be said.

"No, Amber! We will _not_ be in the shower with you! Technically, if you have a razor, or anything else that could potentially be used as a weapon, then there would either have to be two of us in here to make sure that nothing happens, or we would need to take it away from you before you go in. The reason that two people are required instead of one is so that nothing can happen without the second person being able to report it. Because this bathroom is so small, I'll wait outside with the others, but we'll need to have the door cracked a small bit, so we can hear what's going on. I'll close it so you can have some privacy to get undressed, and then once you are in the shower, I can open it back up a little. Give me a shout once you've finished your shower, and I'll close it so you can get dressed. Okay?" Gail explained as gently as she could.

When the girl nodded her head, Gail could see that she wasn't very happy with the circumstances at all. She could easily understand that, because _no_ one enjoyed having their privacy taken from them for any reason. But at the same time, she could also see that Amber was very young, that she had so much to live for, so much that she could look forward to, and there was _no way_ that she was going to allow this girl to 'cash out' without being there to stop it! USMC Captain Gail Summers was fully determined that this girl would be a charge that The Gatekeepers could be proud of having helped!

Amber nodded her head and clutched the towel to her chest as the woman stepped out of the bathroom and pulled the door closed. She got her things ready for her shower, and spotted the bottle of medicated feminine wash that had been left out for her. After reading the small note on the side, her mouth quirked in a disgusted frown. Locked in a state of fear, she never took her eyes off the door as she turned on the shower and quickly got undressed. She spent a fair amount of time cleaning herself up before actually getting in the shower. As she got in the small shower, Amber was a little surprised by the strong and powerful flow of steaming hot water that came from the small shower. She never heard anything as the door was opened just a tiny bit, because she was scrubbing almost frantically at her body. She felt the same way she always did after her Papas had played their stupid 'games', and it was as if she'd never get truly clean. She kept washing until long after her hands and feet became wrinkled from exposure to the water. It wasn't until after her arms became tired from all the scrubbing, that Amber simply sat down in the shower and cried for a long while.

"So what do we do now Captain?" Lieutenant Rachel Collins asked quietly once she was sure that Amber was actually in the shower.

"What we do now, Lieutenant, is wait until she gets out of the shower. Then, we'll see what she feels like doing. Other than that, I have no idea." Gail replied somberly as she stood near the bathroom door so she could listen to what was going on inside.

"She might take a while, since this is the first chance she's had to get cleaned up in a couple of days." Mikeala put in quietly.

"Couple of _days_? I was told that she… that the _incident_ occurred yesterday!" Kimberly retorted in a near hiss.

"It did. The men who tried to kill her threw her out of a van which was still moving. She was left on her own at a rest stop that was pretty much in the middle of nowhere. When it started pouring down rain, she sought shelter in Bluestreak's alt mode. Those men later returned to kill her, and Bluestreak caused himself quite a lot of damage in getting her to safety. Please, do _not_ let her know that Bluestreak still has a badly damaged transmission. She already feels bad enough that he was shot numerous times while he was getting her away from her attackers. As bad as you think it might have been, I will tell you that Amber's situation was both severe, and dangerous enough that _any_ of the Autobots would have revealed themselves to her without hesitation!" The Blue Arcee unit said quietly.

"_Christ_! I've never worked a case like this!" Lieutenant Rachel Collins said in angry disgust.

"None of us have Lieutenant, and I don't know of anyone who _has_ worked a case like this. All we can do, is hope that the training we've been through is up to it, and do our best to pull her through. We've all been through the training, so we all know the rules. We do _not_ show her any pity! Sympathy, yes, but not pity. The only thing that would accomplish is to make her feel worse." Gail instructed firmly.

"Look. Amber didn't give me permission to say anything, but she didn't exactly ask me to keep it a secret either, which means that as much as I want to tell you everything I know; I'm not going to betray her confidence. I will tell you that, what she really needs more than anything is a few good friends. I don't know her whole story, but from what I gathered, I don't think she's ever had a _real_ friend at all." Mikeala informed them.

"I think Mikeala's right. Amber has responded _very_ strongly towards the only individual that she currently knows, who actually _has_ shown her any friendship. I can't name or even _think_ of anyone else who would attack not only Ratchet, but also _Ironhide_ with nothing more than a few rocks that she picked up off the ground! Those attacks were made _solely_ in defense of Bluestreak. Right now, Amber is convinced that Bluestreak put his life at risk to keep her from harm last night. Bluestreak himself has tried to tell her that the weapons her attackers had weren't sufficient to cause him any real damage, but I don't think she really believes it. If she ever found out that Bluestreak caused himself far more damage by trying to outrun their van, than their guns were able to do; I don't think any of us would be pleased with the results." The Blue Arcee unit added sincerely.

"That's good then! That's one thing Gatekeepers are trained for. We know how to offer friendship in various ways so that the subject isn't always aware that that's what we're doing. With the incident in question, it's obvious that she won't be willing to trust any of the guys, and she may not even be willing to trust _us_! If that's the case, we're going to need to _earn_ that trust, and that respect from her, and it probably _won't_ be easy!" Kimberly said emphatically.

"I hate to say this, but I think you're right on that one Sergeant." Gail admitted heavily as she looked around. "Hey, why don't you and Lieutenant Collins see if you can round up some shelving, brackets, screws, and a drill, and let's see if we can't give her a place to put the rest of her stuff?" Gail suggested suddenly as an idea occurred to her.

"Good idea, Captain! With a little luck we can surprise her with that when she gets out of the shower." Rachel said with some enthusiasm as she headed for the door.

"Colonel Lennox might know where the required tools are, since I'm sure I saw Sergeant Romero remove several types of tools from the garage of Ambers home." The Blue Arcee unit suggested trying to help.

"I'll go along too." Mikeala piped up once she finally saw something that she could actually help with.

"No… Mikeala, right? Amber knows you better than she knows the rest of us, so I want you to stay here so she'll at least see a couple of familiar faces when she gets done with her shower." Gail instructed quickly.

"I don't really want to be the one to tell you this Captain, but I only met Amber a few hours ago. She knows Bluestreak better than she knows anyone else, and she only met him yesterday." Mikeala said apologetically.

"Oh _crap_! That's great. Just _great_! She doesn't know _anyone_ here! Getting her to trust us enough to open up under these conditions may be a lot tougher than I thought." Kimberly muttered in sour disgust.

Capt. Summers nodded her head in agreement with that sentiment before turning her attention back to Mikeala. "Look, the rules, and regulations that the Gatekeepers operate under stipulate that we can _not_ ask for any additional information about the person we've been assigned to. As much as I may want to, I'm not going to violate that policy this time either. I don't want you to tell us _anything_ that might be a breach of any confidence that Amber might have placed in you, but since you've at least had a chance to spend _some_ time with her, any advice or ideas that you come up with would really be appreciated. Let me be clear about this. I don't want you to tell us _anything_ that you don't think _she_ wouldn't be willing to tell us! If you don't think she'd want us to know something about her, then _don't_ tell us. Otherwise we're really shooting in the dark on this one, until we earn some of her trust, and that doesn't look like it's going to be an easy thing to do."

After the two women left to go gather the materials and tools to install the shelves, Arcee, Mikeala, and Gail spent the time getting to know each other, and generally making small talk. The idle conversation went on for nearly half an hour when a tap on the door announced the return of the two women who now had a small cart full of the things needed to install shelves in the girl's room. Soon, four women, and one Cybertronian femme were working together to get the shelves installed. Rachel and Kimberly held the planks, Gail held the brackets in place while Mikeala inserted the screws with the drill, and Arcee told them when the shelf was level. By working as a team like that, it wasn't long before more than a dozen shelves five feet in length were mounted in various places on the walls of the room.

"Do you think this is going to be enough, Captain?" Kimberly asked as she looked at the number of shelves that were now on the walls.

"I think so, but if it isn't, then we'll just put in some more. Besides, this was easier than I thought it was going to be." Gail answered as she looked at the results.

"Can… can you close the door please? I'm finished with my shower now." Amber called out nervously from the shower, cutting off any other comments that might have been made.

"I sure can! You just take your time Amber." Gail replied as she shut the door to the bathroom.

Waiting for Amber to exit the shower seemed to take a million years, even though no more than a couple of minutes had passed. The reason it seemed to take so long was that each of the Gatekeepers were wondering just how the girl would now react. Would she be listless and apathetic as she spiraled deep into depression, or would she be so angry that she lashed out at everyone and everything? There was no way of knowing, because each individual handled such extreme stress differently.

Amber knew that she'd sat in the shower and cried for quite a while. She'd cried for many reasons, and one of them was because she still had no idea why her Papas had done such things to her. Even though she hated the things she'd been made to do, and as much as she was terrified by the way they had tried to kill her, she still missed them, and that was only part of what was so hard for her to understand. The fact that she still missed, and in a way wanted to be back home with the men who had tried to end her life scared her more than a little.

When Amber stepped out of the bathroom with her dirty clothes wrapped in a towel, and clutched under her arm, Gail couldn't suppress a slight frown as she took in the girl's appearance. Instead of blue, the girl's skirt and ribbon were now a light pink, but otherwise the outfit was almost exactly the same as what she'd had on a short while earlier. About the only real difference that Gail could see was that Amber had taken the ribbon and started at her hairline on the back of her neck, before taking the ribbon up and over the top of her head to tie it in a bow, so that her bangs could hang down in the front, while the rest of her hair formed a large ponytail that reached just past the middle of her back. Seeing the girl's mouth fall open in surprise, Gail looked around to see what had caught Amber's attention.

Amber looked over at the woman named Gail with more than a bit of surprise. She _knew_ that those shelves hadn't been on the walls when she'd gone in to the bathroom, so they must have been put up while she had been taking a shower.

"I… I thought you said I could get some shelves later." Amber said with some confusion.

Gail looked down at the girl who was obviously apprehensive about being in a new place with no one but near total strangers now in charge. That on top of everything else that she knew the girl had been through, was more than enough to put _anyone_ on edge. So, there was no wonder that Amber showed some levels of fear and concern. Gail knew that this was the time to not only turn on some charm, but also a level of respect and professionalism that could be found _nowhere_ outside of the Military!

"Well, I think this qualifies as later. Besides, you need the shelves, and since we were waiting and didn't really have anything else to do, we installed them for you. Rachel and Kim held the shelves, while Arcee told them when it was level, and Mikeala worked the drill and I just passed the brackets and screws to her. With all of us pitching in, we were able to make sure that you can have your room the way you like it." Gail answered with an easy smile.

"Amber, do you remember what I told you on the plane, about the start of a new life?" The Blue Arcee unit asked lightly.

Amber nodded her head cautiously, not sure where the Autobot was going with this, but understanding things so far.

"Good! I want you to keep remembering that. And while you do, think about why we would do this for you." Arcee said with a small smile on her facial plates.

Amber swallowed hard, and felt her breath hitch in her chest before she gave her answer. "Because… because you want me to pay for it?"

"_No_! Absolutely _not_, Amber!" Mikeala interrupted angrily. "This isn't something you _ever_ have to pay for! We did this so you would be happy, at least with your room if nothing else. You are _not_ going to pay for this,_ ever_! Understand? We did this because we want you as a friend, and we want to show you that we want you to consider _us_ to be your friends. _Not_ for payment, _never_ for payment!" She finished emphatically.

Each of the three Gatekeepers present caught the rather odd emphasis that Mikeala had used, and while that alone was weird enough; the phrasing that she had used was even stranger still. It was something that not only caught their attention, but made each of them wonder in their own way, exactly what the whole story was. Is spite of rampant curiosity, there was no way that any of the three Military women were going to ask about any if it.

"Mikeala's right, Amber. None of us want or expect any kind of payment from you. We did this for you in the hope that you would feel comfortable here. I might be mistaken, but I believe that this room is yours now, and no matter what you might think, those men can _not_ touch you here! We are close to a thousand miles from where they left you, so I doubt that they would even know where to begin to look for you." The Blue Arcee unit said as she bent down to look at the girl optics to eyes. "You are _safe_ here Amber! Not only will Bluestreak make sure of that, but so will I." Arcee finished gently.

"They aren't the only ones! That's our job too, you know. There is one thing you can rest assured on, and take to any bank you want. _No one_ is going to get past us to do anything to you while you're here! And if you don't believe me, then you might want to think about how hard it's going to be to get past several thousand soldiers. It's easier to sneak in to the White House than it is to sneak on to this Base. So you've got nothing to worry about." Kimberly added firmly.

For the first time Amber really _looked_ at each of the three women in uniform. Gail was just a bit taller than Mikeala, with the same blue eyes, and hair that was even darker, although it was really curly. A somewhat large mouth with generous lips that seemed ready to smile for almost any reason. The real difference between the two was that Mikeala had a California tan, and Gail had skin that was so white that it was almost pale by comparison. Rachel had brown hair, and large hazel eyes, and was nearly as tall as that Colonel Lennox man that she'd met. Kimberly was the same height as Mikeala, and had red wavy hair that hung just past her shoulders where the other two had theirs at shoulder length. The woman had green eyes and pale skin with a sprinkling of light colored freckles.

Amber wasn't sure what to say to what they had just told her, and truth be told, she wasn't all that sure she could actually believe it. That wasn't to say that she didn't _want_ to, because she really did, but rather it was because she had been so firmly taught otherwise. She settled for a simple nod of her head in answer, before looking back towards Gail.

"Um… what am I supposed to do with my dirty clothes? Is there a washer and dryer that I can use?" Amber asked a little reluctantly.

"As far as that goes, you have a few options. There is a washer and dryer for this barracks and since this one is empty except for you, you would be the only one using it. There is a civilian style laundry service near the PX that does a great job on things, since they make sure that everything is up to parade standards, and they're very good about not getting things mixed up, so the choice is up to you on that one." Gail answered evenly.

Amber frowned as she thought about that for a moment before looking up at Captain Summers doubtfully. "Is there an ironing board and an iron with the washer and dryer?"

"Yes… there is." Gail answered before holding her hands out defensively. "But please don't ask me to try ironing anything for you, because I always end up burning myself every time I try." She said apologetically.

"That's okay. I've been doing laundry for a long time, so I can iron my own clothes." Amber answered pensively.

"Well, since I guess that's settled, maybe now we should focus on getting you some dinner. After that, we can take you and show you around a bit. How does that sound?" Gail suggested as a way of keeping the girl occupied so she wouldn't have much of an opportunity to dwell on whatever had happened to her.

"Good idea. We spent _hours_ being cooped up on that plane, and Epps and Fig only had a ton of junk food to snack on, so I'm _starving_!" Mikeala chimed in quickly.

Amber gaped at Mikeala as if she'd just been slapped. "I… I asked if anyone else wanted some of the fruit that I had. I… I swear I did. There's even some of it still left." She said in a near plaintive whisper.

"You're kidding me, right? Look Amber, you've got enough problems as it is. You can't go home, so you can't see your friends from your neighborhood or even your school. I know for a fact that there was _still_ a ton of stuff left in your house when we got done. I don't know what all you might be missing, but I'm sure that we couldn't have grabbed everything in less than half an hour and I'm not going to take whatever you've got left." Mikeala retorted.

"You need to keep what little you've got. Arcee told me that you had a few pieces of fresh fruit, Amber. She even told that you didn't want to accept any of it until you were sure that no one else wanted any." Mikeala said emphatically as she stepped closer to the nervous looking girl.

"We didn't even _look_ in the back yard for any of your things. It wasn't until we had already taken off that I wondered if maybe you'd had a pet of some kind. I know that you'd have been willing to share with me Amber." Mikeala said before giving a rueful snort of laughter. "You know how Ironhide first said hello to me and Sam? He pulled out his cannons that are almost big enough for me to climb into, and gave us a 'Dirty Harry' impersonation. _You_ on the other hand were standing there throwing a _rock_ at Ironhide and hitting one of the most dangerous mechs around just because he was teasing Bluestreak…"

"How in the he… how did she get away with hitting _Ironhide_ with a rock?" Kimberly asked in surprise.

"That would be because Ratchet would have hit him with the 'wrench of doom' and Bluestreak would more than likely have offlined him had he dared to pull out his cannons. Besides, Amber had already hit Ratchet several times by throwing rocks after she saw him hitting Bluestreak…" Arcee began explaining.

"He better not try to hit him again either! If he does I'll find bigger rocks next time, and _then_ I'll aim for his windows!" Amber interrupted angrily.

Even though she didn't have any windows to be damaged, and she hadn't been the intended target of that hostility, Arcee couldn't suppress the shuddering cringe that passed through her frame at that threat. She knew that even though it couldn't cause any actual damage unless the girl's strength were somehow magnified by a factor of twenty, it would _still_ be incredibly painful to the recipient.

"I'm sure you would Amber, but please… don't ever joke about something like that. Although our bodies look like ordinary metal and glass, they really aren't, and we can feel pain, and be hurt just like you can." Arcee tried to explain patiently.

"I know… Bluestreak scared the daylights out of me when he started his motor and turned on the heater. I tried to get out, but the door wouldn't open, so I started hitting it to get it to open. Bluestreak told me that it hurt." Amber said in a sorrowful tone.

"Oh _Primus_!" Arcee exclaimed softly. "Amber, you need to be _very_ careful with Bluestreak's doors from now on. He has the type of frame that we refer to as being a 'door-winger'. What that means is that his doors are actually extra sensor panels. They are _extremely_ sensitive! Those door-wings are so sensitive that you can't sneak up on him. He can use those to sense the vibrations in the air that are just caused by you moving around. So _please_… don't ever hit him there again, okay?"

"I… I only did it because I was scared, and I told him that I was sorry for hitting him like that." Amber said in near tears.

"I believe you, Amber. I'm not angry with you; I'm only trying to let you know just how much that can hurt, even if you aren't strong enough to actually damage him. I know you wouldn't try to hurt one of your friends, or you wouldn't have tried to stand up for him the way that you did. There are a lot of things about us that you'll need to know, and it will take some time for you to learn about us, and to get used to being around us much of the time. Besides, I know that Bluestreak only wants to make sure that you're okay." Arcee informed her.

"_How_ do you know that, though? How do I know that he doesn't want me for some other reason?" Amber demanded quickly.

"Because he's been tapping into my comm system _constantly_ the whole time he's been getting his repairs from Ratchet. Ratchet even had to yell at him a few times, because Bluestreak is paying more attention to what is going on here, then he is to Ratchet's instructions." The Blue Arcee unit said with a laugh.

"But he's not even here, so how can he know what's going on?" Amber asked a little confused.

"I've allowed him to establish a link in my comm system, so he can hear and _see_ everything that I do…"

"_What_? _No_! No way! That is _not_ going to work!" Gail exploded suddenly. "There is no _way_ that I am going to allow Amber's privacy to be violated to that extent. If she decides to visit with Bluestreak, then that's fine, but I will_ not_ have him tuning in or scanning what goes on in this room! Because of her situation and circumstances, _males_ are _not_ allowed to enter this Barracks! That includes humans and _mechs_! So you can tell that Bluestreak to mind his own business…"

Gail was about to say more but suddenly found herself being shoved by Amber. "You leave my friend _alone_! Bluestreak saved my life, and I don't care if you don't like him, he's my friend." Amber screamed as she burst into tears.

"He's the only friend I have." Amber whispered as she turned to flee into the bathroom.

The Blue Arcee unit reacted quickly to catch hold of the girl before she could make her escape. "Amber relax, okay? Give me a chance to explain things to them. They don't know Bluestreak yet, and they don't understand or even know what's going on with him right now. I'll explain it to them if you'll let me, but right now…. _In a minute Bluestreak, I can't calm her down and speak to you at the same time_!" Arcee exclaimed as she voiced her transmission to the mech who was still in the med bay with Ratchet.

Arcee's Blue frame shook her head before looking back at Amber. She started to say something to the girl, but paused as Amber flinched her way out of the bot's grasp. Arcee waited until she was certain that she had the girl's attention before speaking again. "Bluestreak isn't the _only_ friend you have Amber. I would like to be considered one of your friends as well. I'm sure that Gail, Mikeala, Kimberly, and Rachel would also like to be thought of as your friends too."

"But I don't know any of you. I _barely_ even know Bluestreak."

"Well that's easily solved. Let's go over to my house. Since I'm off duty right now, my Grandmother will have something ready for us. So we can all get something to eat, and you can get to know us at the same time. You can ask anything you want… _but_… if it's something that's classified, we'll have to tell you 'I can not confirm or deny that request', other than that, I'll tell you anything you want to know about me." Rachel suggested quickly.

"You _know_ that we'll take you up on that Sergeant since the mess hall is already closed, and I've heard some _very_ good things about your Grandmother's cooking. Are you sure she'll have something for all of us?" Gail chimed in with a smile.

"Absolutely! I'm not sure how she knows I'm bringing company over, but somehow, she always does." Rachel answered a bit ruefully.

"Can Arcee come too?" Amber asked nervously as she shot a dubious look at Gail.

"I would think you'd need to her that question Amber." Gail answered quickly.

"Of course I will Amber. That way I can still keep Bluestreak informed on how you're doing, _and_ I can inform everyone exactly how Bluestreak is being affected right now." Arcee answered lightly.

"Any chance you could start on the way over?" Gail asked pointedly with a slight edge to her tone.

"Of course, Captain." Arcee replied with an easy smile. "Amber just leave those on the floor of the bathroom for now. I'll help you tend to your laundry when we get back okay?"

Amber nodded her head, and turned to the bathroom, and opened a small closet next to the door and saw that there was a place for a hamper. Since she didn't have one, she did as Arcee suggested and dropped her clothes on the floor before closing the closet.

As Amber followed two of the women out of her room, Arcee made it a point to keep her Blue frame next to the girl. She knew that Mikeala and Capt. Summers were following them, and she also knew that Capt. Summers was watching her just as much as she was watching Amber. Being watched herself wasn't something that actually concerned Arcee at the moment. What was really bothering her about the whole situation, was the apparent lack of trust towards Amber.

"I was informed that Bluestreak currently has some programming 'issues'. So why don't you tell us exactly what these 'issues' are, and how we are supposed to deal with them?" Gail demanded just a little coldly.

"Has anyone told you _anything_?" Arcee asked suddenly as a rather disturbing thought occurred to her after hearing the demand for information.

"Only that he's having some 'issues'. Exact words." Gail answered immediately.

"In that case, let me tell you first, that _all_ Cybertronians are brought online with certain programs already in place. Altering or removing those 'core programs' as they are called is extremely dangerous. One result of doing so is the complete lack of morals that the Decepticons display. We Autobots still have those programs, and they have _never_ been altered or tampered with! Bluestreak is currently having some difficulty with two sets of programs right now. One set of those programs is something that we call the 'Sparkling Care Protocols'. They govern the care and treatment of infant or 'Sparkling' Cybertronians. There used to be two methods of creating sparklings. One was by using the All Spark to give life to a prebuilt base frame. Then a 'Caretaker' would be chosen from among the applicants. Those who applied to be chosen as a Caretaker for a created Sparkling would have their core programming examined to determine if they were fit to be a Caretaker or not. Only those with a very strong set of protocols were chosen. The other method which is now the only one possible to us, is for two bots to merge their sparks in order to create a third spark, which can then be placed into a prebuilt frame. It was long ago proven that the merging method to create a new spark also strengthened the Sparkling Care Protocols." Arcee began to explain while carefully avoiding the mention of exactly how the reproduction was achieved.

"What many don't realize is that the Sparkling Care Protocols will _not_ allow any Cybertronian to injure, or harm a Sparkling. They also can't allow one to be harmed or injured without trying to prevent it. The second set of protocols that Bluestreak is having difficulty with are what are called the 'Guardian' protocols. Those are a set of programs which stipulate that when a Cybertronian is assigned to guard or care for a less able bot, that they are then a 'Guardian' for that bot. The bot being protected in such a manner can be of any age, and not necessarily a Sparkling." Arcee continued carefully as she tried to ensure that there would be no misunderstands about this.

"So what exactly does this have to do with Amber?" Rachel asked curiously.

"_That_ is the real key here! Because Amber is so young, Bluestreak's systems have identified her as a Sparkling, and once he learned that she had been abandoned, his Sparkling Care Protocols automatically went into priority mode to ensure Amber's safety. When an attempt was made to end Amber's life, and Bluestreak realized that she had _no one_ to rely on for help except him, it activated the Guardian protocols in Bluestreak's systems. Added together, those two sets of protocols mean that Bluestreak will do anything and everything he thinks is necessary for Amber's health. Unfortunately, Bluestreak is currently suffering from a programming conflict, because _both_ sets of protocols are trying to assert themselves in a priority mode which means that in certain circumstances, Bluestreak would ignore any risk or danger to his own life in order to help Amber. Eventually, his systems will stabilize, but for right now, Bluestreak can potentially be _extremely_ dangerous if he even _suspects_ that Amber _might_ be at risk of harm or injury!" Arcee explained.

"So, you're saying that she wouldn't actually have to be in any danger, just in a situation where she could end up in danger, and Bluestreak would come unglued?" Gail asked uncertainly.

"That's exactly what I'm saying. For the time being, Bluestreak is going to be _very_ focused on Amber. That will remain the case, until his programming stabilizes. You need to understand that this was an incredibly unique set of circumstances. Back on Cybertron, a Sparkling would never have been abandoned in such a way. Then there is the fact that no Cybertronian would have attempted to kill a Sparkling either. As far as I know, this is the only case I've ever heard of where _both_ of those sets of Protocols have been activated in a priority mode. Granted, being around Amber has placed my own set of Sparkling Care Protocols in a higher priority bracket, but nowhere _near_ the level that they currently are for Bluestreak." Arcee explained evenly.

"I can give you an excellent example. I've known Bluestreak for tens of _thousands_ of your years! In all that time, he has never once issued a threat of any kind. Not once has he even threatened a Decepticon, even though he hates them for a _very_ good reason! Yet today, I happened to mention how Ratchet was actually being very polite towards Amber, even after she had thrown several rocks at him, and then, when I mentioned how Ratchet would normally respond to such acts, Bluestreak threatened to dismantle our CMO with a welder." Arcee stated.

"Wait a minute! Isn't Ratchet one of the senior officers?" Kimberly asked in confusion.

"Yes he is. That's in addition to his position as Chief Medical Officer." Arcee answered easily.

"So he threatened to kill a superior officer over something that wasn't even done?" Gail asked in disbelief.

"Yes, he did, and the worst part, is that Bluestreak truly meant every word." Arcee replied flatly.

Even though it appeared that Amber wasn't really paying any attention to the conversation, she had not only heard every single word, but was listening avidly to everything that was being explained about her friend.

"Then Bluestreak's in trouble because of me… _isn't_ he?" Amber demanded suddenly as she rounded on Arcee.

"No, Amber. Bluestreak isn't in any trouble at all. From what I understand, humans like yourself can also experience periods of emotional or mental instability. That is what Bluestreak is currently dealing with. We do not, and _will_ not hold _anyone_ responsible for this! Programming incompatibility issues can be caused by many things including a cyber virus, so there is no reason for Bluestreak to be in trouble, and _certainly_ not because of you or anything you've done! I was only explaining what is happening with Bluestreak's programming, so that these soldiers can continue to do their jobs. Since they'll have to be around you for a while, they need to know why Bluestreak might behave a little oddly sometimes." Arcee reassured quickly.

"So just how do we know that Bluestreak won't do something that could… say… _accidentally_ endanger Amber?" Gail asked after thinking about what she'd been told.

"That's easy to explain. Amber already provided both the answer and the proof of that one. When I first tried to this explain to Amber while we were returning to the base, Amber asked Bluestreak if he could do something to her by accident, and simply _thinking_ about harming her by accident nearly put Bluestreak in a lockdown mode. If he _were_ to try something like that, which he won't, his systems would lock every joint in his frame so that he would be unable to move, and that would happen _before_ he could follow through with any action that might jeopardize Amber's safety. None of the Autobots could _intentionally_ harm Amber, but Bluestreak wouldn't even be able to do it by accident, so you have nothing to be concerned about there." Arcee elaborated.

"You make it sound like he wouldn't have any choice _but_ to protect Amber!" Gail blurted out almost angrily. "Almost like he'd be a slave or something."

Arcee stopped and turned to face the clearly upset Marine. "That is actually very close to being true. Once his internal programming stabilizes, however, Bluestreak will then be able to differentiate between truly harmful events, and those nominally harmful events that are a natural part of maturation. At this time, Bluestreak's programs will not acknowledge any difference between them. A perfect example is that Bluestreak is currently torn between wanting Amber carried to prevent her from having a fall, and knowing that she needs the physical exercise to stay healthy. If she _were_ to be carried by someone, then his programs would be fixating on the possibility that whoever was carrying her might suffer a fall or some other injury that could cause them to drop Amber."

"Oh, come on… if it's that bad, then why isn't he here now?" Rachel asked skeptically.

"Bluestreak isn't here at this moment because of several reasons. One reason is that I am here, and even though I am not Amber's Guardian, I do still have the Sparkling Care Protocols that will not allow her to be injured. Another part of that reason is that I am able to provide Bluestreak with an audio and visual update on Amber's welfare. The other reason is that Bluestreak _knows_ that Ratchet would weld him to a table in order to complete the repairs. However, Bluestreak is _not_ happy about allowing Amber out of his optic range even to receive repairs that he is obviously in serious need of." Arcee explained patiently.

"So, Bluestreak can see and hear everything that's going on right now?" Amber asked with sudden curiosity.

"Yes, Amber. He can…"

"Bluestreak! You better stay _right_ there and let Ratchet fix you! You hear me? And you tell him that if he hits you with that wrench again, that I'm going to throw so many rocks at him, that he'll be a giant pile of gravel when I'm done!" Amber suddenly yelled while looking straight in Arcee's face.

All three of the soldiers were giving Amber some strange looks, while Mikeala was gaping at the girl. For her part, Arcee was torn between several reactions. Both of her other frames immediately fell to their knees laughing raucously, while her Blue frame couldn't decide whether to correct Amber for threatening the medic or laugh at the girl's utter sincerity.

"You didn't have to yell Amber. Bluestreak was able to hear you perfectly well, and he said to tell you that he will stay in the med bay until Ratchet is through, _provided_ that I remain with you." The Blue Arcee unit said after a moment.

"Sorry." Amber said as she quirked her mouth in apology. "But Ratchet isn't going to hit Bluestreak again is he?" She added getting angry again.

Arcee let out a snort of laughter before controlling herself. "No, Amber. Ratchet will not be hitting Bluestreak. Ratchet only does that when a bot is injured because they did something stupid, or when they refuse to cooperate. The damage that Bluestreak did to his transmission was not only understandable, but also very noble as well. Not one of us can blame him for doing what he had to do to save your life, and keep you from getting hurt. You really shouldn't think that you've somehow gotten Bluestreak in trouble Amber. What Bluestreak did last night makes him a hero. I think so anyway." Arcee finished casually.

"If he saved her life, then that would make him a hero in my book as well." Gail chimed in quickly.

"I agree. Now, why don't we head on over to my house so we can chow down on my grandma's good cooking?" Rachel asked. With a grin.

"Good idea! I'm starved." Mikeala exclaimed eagerly.

"Why couldn't I just eat my chili dog?" Amber asked nervously.

"Because it's most likely spoiled by now, Amber. After sitting out at room temperature for a few hours like it did on the plane, that thing could get you seriously sick and might even kill you. Even though it _might_ still be safe for you to eat, I can't take that chance, and Bluestreak _certainly_ wouldn't take that chance if he knew about it. Besides… Ratchet already threw it away." Arcee replied.

"Hey, don't sweat it Kid. My grandma cooks like a pro. Seriously, I had to join the Army just so I could stay in shape with the kind of food she puts on the table. If I hadn't, I'd probably weigh close to half a ton by now. Don't worry so much. It's not healthy at your age. You're what maybe fifteen? Sixteen?" Rachel said in a friendly tone.

"My Papas said that I'm thirteen, but I don't really know anymore because they changed my birthday when I started living with them, and I don't remember what it used to be." Amber answered pensively.

The two soldiers who were leading the small group stopped and turned to gape at the girl who had just spoken. Even though she too was staring at Amber while a hundred different questions flew through her mind, Gail realized that Mikeala and Arcee weren't really all that surprised by the revelation. Not only did that observation make her wonder exactly what those two knew about Amber, but it also made her wonder just what the girl had been through.

It took a concentrated effort for Arcee not to tell Amber that Prowl had been asked by Optimus to not only find out who she really was, but also to try locating her actual family so that she could be reunited with them. The only real problem was that as much tragedy as there was on this planet, there was a very real and very distinct possibility that Amber's family might already be dead. One thing Arcee absolutely _refused_ to do was raise potentially false hopes in the heart of a girl who acted as if she had very little to hope for.

Mikeala paused for a brief moment when Amber made that remark. Pain and rage both swelled within her heart, and she had no idea what she was supposed to do. What did you say to someone who no longer knew who they really were?

The rest of the walk to Rachel's home on the Base was made in relative silence. From the outside, it didn't appear to be any different from any of the others because all of the military housing units had been built exactly alike. Some members of the service called them 'cookie cutter' houses because they had all been built from a single set of floor plans.

The inside was vastly different from the rather plain appearance of the exterior. Instead of being an uninspiring drab, there were photos, heirlooms, and knick knacks almost everywhere. A modest sized television sat facing a sofa and a pair of overstuffed chairs with a coffee table in front of them. The simple tile floor was dotted nearly every where with area rugs that livened up to room to make it a bright and cheery home.

"Grandma! I hope you don't mind, but I brought some company for dinner." Rachel called out.

No sooner had the woman finished speaking than a stoop shouldered but still very spry woman came out of the kitchen. Hair that was solid white from age, was done up in a bun on the back of her head, and hazel eyes were framed by a pair of large glasses. A kindly smile graced the very wrinkled visage of the old woman as she spoke.

"Of course I don't mind, Rachel. I'm always glad to have company. Now, let's see who you brought with you this time. Hopefully a nice young man that you'd be willing to consider settling down with."

"_Grandma_! That is not a topic that we need to discuss in front of company!" Rachel blurted out in frustration while indicating Amber's presence with a pointed nod of her head.

"And I thought my _mother_ was bad about that." Gail muttered.

Amber didn't hear the muttered comment from Gail, instead, she was nearly gaping at the old woman who never stayed still. Seven plates were being set on the table by the old woman who had apparently only glanced at the group to see how many were there. Brown loafers, tan slacks, a white blouse, and a flower print apron seemed to surround the table as the old woman moved surprisingly fast for her apparent age. In mere moments Rachel's grandmother had stopped and turned to face them.

Amber didn't even try to suppress the giggle that bubbled forth when the old woman gaped at Arcee after finally turning to see exactly who had shown up. Amber knew that it wasn't really funny. After all, she hadn't even known that there were _real_ robots until the night before. This situation was a little different because this was where the Autobots lived, and Amber thought that people who lived around them would be used to seeing them.

"My word…" Rachel's grandmother exclaimed as she gaped at Arcee's blue frame. Then she shook her head and smiled. "My apologies… I've… I've never had one of the Autobots in my home before. I knew that Rachel worked with some of you on occasion, but I never would have thought that she'd bring one of you to visit. Welcome, come on in and please… make yourself at home." She said sincerely.

"Thank you Mrs. Collins…" Arcee returned.

"Oh, please… call me Helen. I may not know about all that classified stuff, but I _do_ know that you Autobots have saved the entire world on a few occasions, and in my book, that makes all of you a friend, whether I've met you or not." Helen said quickly.

Arcee wasn't really sure how to reply to that type of greeting, so she merely smiled and nodded her head.

"Grandma, I hate to tell you this, but we can't really stay to visit. I just brought everyone over because the mess hall is closed, and we could all use a decent supper. I'm still sort of on the clock, but it's one of those '_other_' matters, so it's not something I can talk about." Rachel said with an apologetic smile.

"Oh…" Helen said as her smile faltered and she really looked at the group for the first time. Two of the women were Marines while her granddaughter was in the Army, but then there was the dark haired young lady that she knew by reputation as a close friend of the Autobots. The much younger girl who was looking around nervously was someone that she hadn't seen before. That was when she noticed that the USMC Captain who was standing behind the girl, was watching the girl like a hawk.

"Grandma, this is Sergeant Major Kimberly Stratton, Captain Gail Summers, Mikeala Barns, Arcee of the Autobots, and last but not least is Amber. I won't say that I know her very well yet, because she just arrived on base, but she's friends with an Autobot, and that's got to say _something_ about her." Rachel said as she indicated each person she was introducing. "This is my grandmother, Helen Collins, the _best_ cook on the base!" She added with a large amount of pride.

"Well… I don't know about being the _best_ but I certainly know my way around a kitchen." Helen said as her smile returned.

"Nonsense Ma'am! I've overheard others who have been lucky enough to sit at your table say the very same thing." Gail said quickly.

"Well, in that case… Come sit down. Dinner is ready and piping hot. Roasted Chicken, with a broccoli and brown rice casserole, along with a salad and homemade seasoned vinegar and oil dressing. I've got plenty of iced tea and fresh lemonade for you to choose from. So just take a seat at the table." Helen told them.

Amber hesitated as everyone was choosing their seats before she grabbed the one between Arcee and Mikeala. Amber watched as the old woman brought glasses of ice to each one of them, and hesitated before placing one in front of Arcee. Helen quickly bustled back into the kitchen to return with a pitcher of tea and a second full of lemonade, which were set down in the center of the table with instructions for everyone to help themselves to whatever they preferred. When Helen returned this time, she began passing out utensils to everyone, and even included a set for Arcee.

"You'll have to give up that knife. Sorry, Amber but you're not allowed to have any weapons, or anything that can be used as a weapon. We don't make the rules; we just follow them." Capt Summers said softly as she held out her hand to the girl who was sitting directly across from her.

Amber looked down at the knife, fork, and spoon that had been neatly placed by her plate, and her brows furrowed as she wanted to cry. Had she been asked, Amber would not have been able to say why the world was such a cruel place, but right then, that was exactly how it felt. First, her Papas had dumped her at a roadside park in the middle of nowhere, then they had come back to kill her. Now, not only was every move she made going to be watched like she was some kind of a spy, but she wasn't even allowed to have a knife to cut up her food. The worst of it was that she still had no idea what she had done to deserve any of it.

Suddenly Amber looked back up at Gail with pure death in her eyes. If looks could kill, there would have been nothing left of the Marine but a smoldering pile of ashes. Amber looked back at her dinner ware and picked up the steak knife by the blade and with her eyes locked angrily on Gail's, she offered the knife to Arcee sitting next to her.

Arcee accepted the knife and calmly handed it, along with her own tableware, over to Gail who looked at the Autobot curiously. Arcee didn't say anything, but she was more than a little incensed that Amber, as young and small as she obviously was, couldn't be trusted to have proper utensils while sitting next to an Autobot who was known to possess much greater speed, reflexes, and strength than any human could possibly have.

"Oh, come on Captain! It's not like Amber could do anything with Arcee sitting right next to her." Mikeala exclaimed quickly.

"Look. I know that Arcee is easily fast enough, and strong enough to put a stop to anything that Amber might try, but rules are rules, and I'm not going to make any exceptions in this case. From the way I understand things, Arcee couldn't let Amber get hurt, nor would she allow Amber to hurt anyone else, but I'm not going to start breaking rules just because an Autobot happens to be present. You don't like it, Amber _certainly_ doesn't like it, and to be honest, I'm not all that crazy about it myself, but this is how it has to be. Eventually things will change and when they do, I'll be perfectly happy with that. But until then, the rules will be followed, and they state that Amber can not have anything that can be used as a weapon." Gail said seriously.

Gail could see the hurt contained in Amber's hazel eyes even as the girl continued to glare at her. Not matter how painful it might be, she was _not_ going to be swayed by such emotions. She was surprised though when Amber suddenly reached up on the table and grabbed her fork.

Amber held the fork in her fist as she thought about throwing it at the woman that she barely knew. Then she realized that doing so, would only make things worse by getting her in trouble. Then, instead of throwing it as she wanted to, she placed it on the table and slid it across to the woman who had begun watching her closely.

Gail stared silently at Amber for a moment as she tried to gauge what was going through the girl's mind. The angry frown remained on Amber's face, and the Marine Captain was unable to really determine anything other than that the girl was not happy with how things were going. Deciding that this was nothing more than a bit of rebellion on Amber's part, she chose to let the issue drop as quietly as possible. Gail then deliberately looked down at the fork that had slid to a stop against her plate and picked it up to set it to one side.

"Thank you Amber. I know you don't like this, but there's nothing that can be done about it for now, so let's just try to make the best of things, okay?" Gail said in an attempt to be diplomatic about the rather tense situation.

Amber didn't say anything as she put her hands in her lap and stared sullenly at her plate. The only thing that kept her from leaving was that she knew the soldiers would just follow her where ever she went. She hated being treated like this just because she had found out about the Autobots.

Helen stared silently from the kitchen. She had understood what her granddaughter had meant by 'other matters', because she had been told quite a lot about the Gatekeepers from long talks with Rachel, about what sort of things she would be doing. Now, was a different story. Now Rachel had apparently brought one of her Charges home with her. She knew that it had to be the case because of the way that Captain Summers had been watching the one called Amber, and now they would not allow her to have a knife to eat with. Rachel had explained the rules that the Gatekeepers operated under, so she knew that there wouldn't be any questions asked by any of the soldiers… _But_ that wouldn't stop _her_ from asking any questions of the girl. After all, the more they knew about the problem, the better they could help. The fact that there were no parents with Amber was very telling, and Helen almost smiled at how she thought she would be able to get the information that Rachel couldn't. With a definite plan of action now firmly in mind, Helen went into the dining room to place the food on the table, before taking her own seat.

Rachel picked up the Pyrex dish that held the chicken and broccoli, helped herself to a fair sized portion before passing it around, then doing the same with the rice. Since the food was being passed counter clock wise, Amber was the last one to receive the dishes of food. Instead of fixing herself a plate she simply placed them back in the center of the table and put her hands back in her lap.

"What wrong? I thought you were hungry." Mikeala said in confusion.

Amber just shook her head without looking up from her plate.

Mikeala frowned as she studied the girl sitting next to her for a moment, then, thinking that she had figured out what the problem was leaned over and whispered to Amber. "Listen, you won't have to pay for this, okay? I promise. That's not the way things are done here. So go ahead and get something to eat, no one will bother you about it."

"I'm not hungry anymore." Amber replied sullenly.

Looking at the plate in front of her, Amber never noticed the change in expression on the soldiers. Rachel and Kimberly both grew concerned, and Gail's face hardened when she thought that Amber might be about to try a hunger strike out of pure rebellion. She was about to say something when Arcee leaned towards the girl and began to speak quietly.

"Amber, you really should eat something even if you aren't very hungry right now. Bluestreak wants you to get something to eat, and he's even ready to leave the med bay to come get you if he has to. _That_ would really make Ratchet hit him with a wrench, and I don't think you want Bluestreak trying to come inside this house now do you?" Arcee whispered in a reasonable tone.

Amber's eyes shot wide at the thought of what would happen to the house if Bluestreak _did_ try to get in. Then the idea of him getting hit in the head by Ratchet, just because she was angry that she'd have to eat with a spoon like a baby wasn't a pleasant thought either. With an angry huff, she grabbed one of the dishes and put some food on her plate, which she then followed with rice from the other.

"I'll say the blessing so we can start eating since I'm sure that some of you are famished." Helen spoke up quickly before anyone had grabbed a fork.

Once the blessing was said, all of the women began eating. Helen couldn't help but notice that Amber was eating slowly, and didn't really bother to look at any of her other guests. While Helen wasn't too pleased with the style of clothing the girl was wearing, she did see that Amber was using very polite and proper table manners. Since no one was talking, Helen decided to try cutting the thick tension in the air, because such things were _not_ good for digestion, and certainly wasn't a pleasant atmosphere for eating.

Getting the roasted chicken apart with a spoon wasn't easy, and even though she was having a very tough time of it, Amber refused to ask to have her fork back. She knew that she'd been angry and was only trying to be a total pain when she'd given that up along with the knife, but now that fit of anger had come back to bite her.

As Gail watched Amber struggle to be neat while trying to cut up her dinner with a spoon, she thought about offering to give the girl back her fork. She was now sure that it had been nothing more than angry defiance that had made Amber give up the fork in the first place. But she couldn't see any way of making the offer without insulting the girl's pride, and making the rather tense situation even worse than it already was. She had to give Amber some credit though; the girl was definitely intelligent and stubborn enough that she was going to prove to be a handful.

"Tell me Amber. Have you been on the Base very long?" Helen asked lightly.

"I just got here a while ago." Amber answered with a shake of her head.

"Well then what brings you to our little neck of the woods?" Helen asked with a bit of forced cheerfulness.

At once all three of the soldiers went dead silent as they waited for that answer. Each of them knew that they couldn't ask such a thing, but if Amber chose to answer Helen's questions, then they could still benefit from the information.

"My Papas decided that they didn't want me anymore, so they threw me out of their van at a rest stop. After a while it started raining really hard and there wasn't anything around except a beat up old car. When I got in, it turned out to be Bluestreak. He scared the snot out of me when he stared his motor and turned on the heater. I tried to get away, but he'd locked the doors. That was when he started talking to me, and I found out what he is. Then my Papas came back to kill me, and Bluestreak took off and tried to leave them behind. They caught up to us because their van was working right and Bluestreak had hurt something. That's when they started shooting at me. Bluestreak saved my life because he got away from them long enough to make me hide so he could scare them off. He saved my life." Amber answered tonelessly while determined not to start crying again.

Looking at her plate, Amber didn't see the shocked expressions on the faces of the soldiers, nor the one of horror on Helen's face.

"When did all this happen?" Helen asked in shock.

"Last night."

"Well, you certainly won't have to worry about such things happening here, young lady." Helen said to reassure both the girl, and herself.

"What sort of things do you like to do for fun?" Arcee asked suddenly to change the subject after a moment of awkward silence.

"I like drawing and coloring on my laptop and tablet. I also have an art pad, and coloring pencils that I draw with. Watching anime, and some hentai movies. I like collecting Gundam Wing statues. It's kind of weird too, because my favorite has always been the Gundam Zero, and it sort of looks a little like Bluestreak even though it changes into a plane, and he changes into a car." Amber replied with a little more animation now that she was thinking about something she liked.

"What's anime and hentai?" Gail asked in confusion.

"Those are cartoons movies that are made in Japan. Some of the best ones only have English subtitles so everything is still in Japanese, and I watch them often enough that I learned how to speak it." Amber answered with a small amount of pride.

"You speak Japanese?" Kimberly demanded in surprise.

Amber looked over at the surprised Lieutenant and simply nodded.

"So what other things do you enjoy?" Helen asked now that the conversation was beginning to flow pleasantly.

"Mostly just drawing. That and my movies are all I really have time for because I have to do all the cooking, cleaning, and laundry. When I have homework from school, I have to do that after I finish everything else."

"But… what about going outside to play with your friends? Don't you ever do that?" Helen asked concerned.

"I never have time to go outside, so the only friend I've ever had is Bluestreak." Amber answered evenly.

"Well didn't you have any friends at your school? I know I did when I was in school." Helen asked interestedly.

"Everyone at school always makes fun of me, and tease me because of the way I dress. So I just stay away from them. All they ever talk about is parties, the mall, and hanging out anyway. They don't like me, and I don't like them, so I don't really care what they say about me." Amber replied.

"_Well_! That's certainly no type of life for a young lady your age. You should get out more. Meet people, and make friends, because there's a lot more to life than just chores and school you know." Helen said in a friendly lecture.

"I've never had time for any of that stuff." Amber said ruefully.

"I think you'll have plenty of time for those things now, Amber. As I've told you before; you've begun a new life now. So there are a lot of things that will change. The ability to make friends will be one of them. I know Bluestreak is a good friend to have. He's got a spark of gold, as the saying goes, and since you'll probably be spending a lot of time with him, you'll end up making other friends as well. It will take some time Amber, but I think you'll be much happier with the changes that are going to happen in your life." Arcee told her easily.

Amber just nodded her head because she felt like she was now getting lectures from everyone around her. That wasn't something she liked because all she really wanted was to be left alone for a while. She knew that wasn't going to happen though, because the way she understood things, she was now going to have someone watching her everywhere except while she was in the shower. It was not a pleasant thing to think about, especially when what she really wanted to know was why her Papas wanted her dead.


	7. Chapter 7

Alone Nevermore 7

Silence reigned as the small group left Rachel's home on the base and headed back to the empty barracks where Amber was now staying. Gail had immediately noticed when they had started to lose Amber's attention because of what probably sounded like lectures that they were giving the girl, and had quickly changed the topic to cover other things. They learned that Amber had never had a pet of any kind, and that she had rarely even gone out to go shopping. Arcee managed to avoid smiling when she discovered that Amber's favorite color was blue, which had verified her earlier guess. All told, the food was excellent, but the rather tense conversation held over it stole a majority of the flavor.

They had nearly returned to the barracks where Amber's room was, when she abruptly turned and faced Gail. "Is it okay if I go see Bluestreak now?"

Gail couldn't help but see by the expression on the girl's face that Amber doubted that she'd be allowed to do such a thing. "Of course it is! Come on. We can all go see how he's doing." She answered with a quick smile.

As Captain Summers led the way to the med bay, she couldn't help but consider what she knew about her latest, and thus far youngest, charge. She knew that when she had been Amber's age she had been rather aggressive about protecting her own privacy, and she thought that most young women Amber's age were the same way. She knew that Amber was going to absolutely _hate_ the fact that her privacy was now stripped from her, but at the same time, Gail wasn't about to allow Amber to fall into a depression if she could somehow prevent it. So maybe she couldn't allow Amber any real privacy, but she could certainly try to make up for that loss in other ways, and that was exactly what she intended to do.

As soon as she walked into the med bay where Ratchet had examined her, Amber was looking around nervously.

"Hey Amber! I'm so glad to see you right now, and I'm _really_ glad that you decided to come here because I really wanted to see that you're okay with my own optics; not that Arcee doesn't have good optics and vision, because she does, but it's just not my optics and vision. Did you get enough fuel to eat? You've changed your clothes again so I'm guessing that you got a chance to visit a wash rack. Those are such wonderful things aren't they? Good hot cleanser certainly does wonders for a dirty frame. I can't wait until I get a chance to visit a wash rack. I'm not as picky about my appearance as Sunstreaker is, but I don't really like being this filthy. I've got so much dirt in my frame and grit in my joints that I'd almost _swear_ that I'm about to strip some gears. That's not a good thing either, because then Ratchet would be _really_ angry at me, and he'd start hitting me with that _horrible_ wrench of his…" Bluestreak exclaimed excitedly as he started to get up from his seat on a berth.

"_Sit down_! I don't want you trying to get up again or I'll…" Ratchet growled as he shoved the grey mech back on to the repair berth.

"If you even _try_ to hit him, I swear I'll get some more rocks and break every window you've got!" Amber yelled at the medic before he could finish his threat.

Ratchet was _not_ in the best of moods at that moment. He'd been working diligently on the bent and mangled armor panels of the mech in front of him, along with the heavily damaged transmission for the past two and a half hours. The fact that he wasn't even half done showed just how hard the volcanic granite had been that Bluestreak had slammed in to. The CMO was _not_ ready to tolerate an interloper in _his_ med bay for any reason, and he wasn't really thinking about what he was doing as he spun around and took a step towards the source of the rather severe threat that had been directed at him.

Suddenly, Ratchet froze at the sound of a long range plasma cannon being charged up. He slowly turned around to see Bluestreak pointing his sniper cannon at him while the grey mech's optics were twitching from severe processor strain. As a highly trained medical specialist, Ratchet knew at a single glance what the problem was, and he also knew just how serious his situation had become. Very slowly, so as to present no threat what so ever, Ratchet moved his arms out to his sides with his palms facing the mech, and took a slow careful step away from Amber.

"Just relax, Bluestreak. I was only going to put her some where that she couldn't cause any trouble." Ratchet said softly in a non threatening tone.

The high pitched humming whine of the charged plasma cannon got subtly louder as the mech continued to increase the already deadly charge on the weapon. "Amber is _not_ trouble, and she does not _cause_ any trouble!" Bluestreak grated out in a static filled voice.

The attention of both mechs was suddenly diverted by a socket pinging off the side of Ratchet's cranial plates. Bluestreak blinked in astonishment as a second socket quickly followed the first. Looking to the source of the improvised weapons, Bluestreak saw Amber scrambling to grab something else to throw at the medic, while Arcee, who was apparently struggling not to laugh at the girl's antics, was trying to calm her down, and prevent her from grabbing anything else to throw. Mikeala and the three soldiers were gaping in shocked disbelief at the chaotic scene in front of them.

"Hey ya, Blue! Long time no see there Babe. How ya been hangin? I heard ya had a bad run in with some nasty weather while you were comin in. This here planet's got some _real_ nasty surprises don't it?" Jazz exclaimed in a loud and cheerful tone as he entered the med bay.

The silver saboteur suddenly ducked and froze as he turned and looked at the source of a _very_ ineffectual attack.

"His name is _Bluestreak_! Not _Blue_, so don't call him that!" Amber yelled as she looked around for something else that she could throw.

Amber suddenly yelped in surprise as she was plucked from the floor by a large metal hand. She immediately looked up to see who had her, and had already opened her mouth to scream at the mech, when she saw that it was none other than Bluestreak who was holding her.

"Please, Amber just calm down for a moment, okay? Ratchet didn't hit me, and I don't think he was going to either, because he didn't even have his wrench out. That's how I know that he wasn't going to hit me with it. Ratchet was only trying to keep me from getting up, which is what I started to do when you walked in, so I would have been in trouble if I _had_ gotten up, and I might be in trouble now since I had to get up so I could stop you from throwing Ratchet's tools around, because he _really_ hates it when his tools get messed up or rearranged. That's _one_ thing that _really_ gets him in a torque! And what did you throw one of Ratchet's tools at Jazz for? I told you about Jazz. Jazz is a very good friend of mine, and I know you'll like him. He doesn't talk as much as I do, but most bots listen when he does say something because he usually has something good to say. I'll introduce you to him as soon as I get the chance." Bluestreak said excitedly while he carried Amber over to the berth he'd been sitting on to be repaired.

Bluestreak knew that he couldn't cover both Ratchet and Jazz at the same time in order to protect Amber, so he took another option, which was to remove Amber as a potential threat to the two bots, so that they in turn wouldn't threaten Amber. Bluestreak was rather pleased with himself for having figured a way out of that situation without causing, or allowing any damage to any of his friends.

"Is that Jazz?" Amber asked while pointing at a silver bot that she hadn't seen before. "Well he needs to call you by your name, which is _Bluestreak_… not _Blue_!"

Amber wasn't sure she knew how to explain exactly _why_ she hated for Bluestreak to be called something else, but she knew that she had always hated that her own name had been changed. She knew that people often changed their last names when they got married or something, but she had always been the only person she'd ever heard of who had gotten their first name changed. She felt that her real name was a part of who she was, and that by changing her name the way that they had, her Papas had taken something away from her, and she didn't know what that something was.

"Wow! Where'd ya get _her_ from? I heard ya'd brought a friend with ya an I wanted ta meet her. Ain't so sure bout that now though. So what's her story, she's still a sparkling right?" Jazz asked with a nonplussed grin.

"Jazz, this is Amber. She sort of found me at a rest stop near where I crashed, and her caretakers abandoned her. They didn't just leave her by accident; they _pushed_ her out of a still moving vehicle! Then it wasn't enough that they had deliberately left her, because they came back to kill her. If my transmission hadn't been damaged and knocked loose by my crash, I wouldn't have had any problems getting her away from them. But I had so much damage from the crash that I was barely able to outrun their van. Oh _Jazz_! You would have been proud of me! I was able to use the darkness of the night storm and the flashes of lightning to appear and disappear like Mirage! I swear that I think Primus even helped me some because there was this _huge_ flash of lightning and the Devil's Tower started howling like an apparition straight out of the pit! If I didn't know that it was just the wind, it would have scared the spark out of me! And that flash and the loud noise happened right when I showed myself to them for the last time and yelled at them to leave, and never return! It would have been an incredible prank if things hadn't been so serious and they hadn't been trying to find Amber so they could kill her." Bluestreak told the saboteur animatedly.

The ever present and easy going grin on the face plates of the silver saboteur faltered as he realized that Bluestreak wasn't making his normal idle chatter, but instead was relating a very serious incident. "Tell ya what Buddy, Ya gimme a download on that, and I'll tell ya whether ya done good or not." He said seriously.

"Bluestreak did just _fine_! He saved my life and did it without hurting my Papas, even though he got shot and was bleeding that energon stuff." Amber protested hotly as she glared at Jazz.

"They had weapons?" Jazz asked as he glanced at the small human in Bluestreak's hand. "Bluestreak, I want a full download, _now_!" He added as he looked back up at the face of the Autobot sniper.

Bluestreak nodded his head and sent a data burst containing everything from the instant that he'd first detected the van right up to the moment when they had arrived at the base.

Jazz was silent for a moment as he reviewed the information, and when he reached the data that contained the sniper's method of driving the attacking humans away, Jazz burst out laughing raucously. Within seconds the saboteur sat down on a nearby berth while still laughing loudly.

When he finally stopped laughing, Jazz got up and placed a friendly hand on Bluestreak's left arm. "I done some good pranks in my time, an I even had some fine assistants ta help me pull em off. I've even gotten lucky a time or two, but I have _never_ had direct help from Primus himself while pulling off a prank! That was a _spectacular_ piece of work mah friend!"

"You… you _really_ think so? But… but… I let them get away after…" Bluestreak began sadly.

"That don't matter! Ya did what was right ta get her away from em! The final result is that ya got a recordin of a prank that _no_ one's ever gonna top, _and_ ya got a new friend too. You know that missions don't always work out like that, but ya pulled it off, saved the day _and_ the girl! It don't get no better than that." Jazz interrupted quickly to reassure his friend.

"Jazz is right. Now you need to get back on the berth so I can finish reinstalling your transmission. And _don't_ let her throw anymore of my tools!" Ratchet ordered irritably.

"Try to hit him again and I'll throw every tool you have in the trash!" Amber snapped while glaring at the medic.

"I am _not_ going to slagging hit him! Now leave me alone and let me do my slagging job! And _don't_ throw anymore of my tools!" Ratchet ordered in a near growl.

"I'll only leave you alone as long as you don't try to hit Bluestreak!" Amber retorted instantly.

Ratchet huffed in annoyance as Bluestreak placed Amber to one side so that she would be next to him while he finished getting his repairs. The medic said nothing as the girl crossed her arms over her chest and stood there glaring at him as though she fully intended to watch every move he made in hope of being able to carry out her earlier threats. As he went back to finish reinstalling Bluestreak's transmission, it wasn't as easy for Ratchet to ignore the girl as he made it appear. A thorough scan of the girl showed him that there was still a fair degree of physical discomfort caused by stretched and strained muscles, along with a large amount of internal bruising, and even some tearing. All of which were obviously painful for the girl, and the medic noticed that she carefully hid her painful discomfort with what had to be _far_ too much practice. Although Ratchet didn't want to see the girl in pain, he also didn't want to offer her any type of painkiller since that would only allow her to move completely normally, and possibly aggravate her condition even more.

Arcee had retrieved the sockets that Amber had thrown with her Purple frame, and her Blue frame was now climbing on the berth to stand next to Amber, who was still glaring at the Autobot medic with fierce determination. Deciding that Amber ought to be distracted so she wouldn't be able to bother Ratchet as much, Arcee focused her Purple frame's attention on Jazz.

"Correct me if I'm wrong Jazz, but aren't you supposed to be watching the Dinobots right now?" The Purple Arcee unit asked casually.

"I should be, yeah, but I found a way around that little problem. I got Kup to tell em some of the stories he knows." Jazz replied with a smirk.

"_What_? Do you realize that we may _never_ get those bots separated now? As much as the Dinobots love stories, and Kup loves to reminisce about things he's seen and done, there'll be no _end_ to his old war stories now!" Ratchet exclaimed irritably.

"Jazz, you _do_ know that perpetual motion is supposed to be a myth right? Well, I think you might have found a way around that this time." Mikeala said with a snicker.

"Well see, that don't actually qualify as perpetual motion, but it ain't somethin that's gonna be easy ta put a stop to either." Jazz said with an easy laugh.

"Oh! I'm sure that you're right there Jazz. There's very little that the Dinobots love more than a good story, and Kup really knows _lots_ of stories. They may not ever want him to stop telling them about all the different things he's done and all the interesting places that he's seen and been to. I hope Kup doesn't have a duty shift anytime soon, because the Dinobots won't want to let him leave until he's told them all of his stories, and that would take _hundreds_ of human years! Especially since they'll have to stop in order to recharge, and that would only make things take even longer. But then if Kup _does_ end up having to go on a duty shift, would the Dinobots just follow him around so he could tell them more stories while he was on duty?" Bluestreak added in.

Amber knew that the robots were all much older than she was, because of a comment that had been made earlier about one of them having known Bluestreak for thousands of years. Since that made them all adults, Amber stayed quiet and let them have their conversation. She'd learned the hard way through quite a few painful lessons that children were to be seen and not heard. After the methods that her Papas had used to correct her, there was no way that she was going to interrupt an adult conversation. Although she did listen and pay attention to what was being said by everyone, she kept her gaze focused on Ratchet and Bluestreak so that she could watch every move the medic made.

Amber silently watched the medic for a couple of hours as he used a large variety of tools to make proper repairs on Bluestreak's transmission, before he started reforming the dented and bent armor panels on the mech. When one of the badly bent panels was removed so the medic could work with it, Amber saw just how thick it was. Now she understood why Bluestreak hadn't really been concerned about the guns her Papas had been using the night before. She knew from watching Gundam Wing that regular bullets couldn't go through metal that thick, and that the only reason Bluestreak had gotten hurt was because of the damaged armor.

Suddenly Amber gasped in horror as she watched Ratchet use a laser of some kind to weld a spot on Bluestreak's body. That was when Ratchet stopped as both Bluestreak and the medic turned to look at her.

"Doesn't… doesn't that hurt?" Amber asked quietly as she looked up at Bluestreak.

"Oh no, Amber. This isn't hurting me at all because Ratchet shut down all of my pain receptors. I'm sure it would really hurt a lot if he hadn't, so I'm very glad he did. I really wouldn't want to find out what it feels like to be welded on with my pain receptors active, because I'm sure that it wouldn't feel very good at all." Bluestreak reassured her quickly.

"And you're not _going_ to find out what it feels like either! Not while _I'm_ the medic around here!" Ratchet added in angrily.

Amber shot a fresh glare at the medic who didn't seem to be able to be nice about anything for even a moment. She was really beginning to dislike this particular robot, and even though she barely even knew him, she could tell that he was a _lot_ more than just grumpy!

"You don't have to be mean to him! All he was doing is telling me why it doesn't hurt! How would you like it if I started being mean to you?" Amber said hotly.

"Oh! So you don't believe that hitting me with rocks, and throwing my tools around is being mean?" Ratchet shot back quickly.

"Not really." Amber replied sweetly while smiling brightly.

The completely innocent tone with which the girl had spoken instantly caught the attention of everyone in the med bay. Expressions of disbelief were on the faces of almost everyone bot and human alike. The sole exception to that was Mikeala who burst out laughing.

"Might want to be careful there Ratchet. _That_ was the kind of tone that someone only uses when she's already got something in mind, _and_ that she's ready to use whatever nasty idea she's come up with." Mikeala warned with a snicker.

"And just what sort of idea did you have in mind?" Ratchet asked doubtfully as he frowned at Amber.

"Let's see… do the words sleep, hammer, headlights, and windows mean anything to you?" Amber replied with that same innocent seeming grin.

Even as the optics on the medic were expanding to their widest possible setting, Bluestreak was reaching out to pluck Amber away from the medic. Arcee gasped in pure shock even as she moved to place her blue frame in between Amber and the CMO.

A hundred different thoughts flashed through the medic's processors in an instant, and while a vast majority of those thoughts were immediately discarded, there was one option that was readily acceptable. Ratchet leaned towards Amber who was now being cradled against Bluestreak's still open chest compartment and grinned. "_You_ are the one who is _really_ mean!"

"No I'm not!" Amber protested in an angry shout. "_You're_ the one who started hitting Bluestreak with that giant wrench of yours for no reason! You were the one who started yelling at him as soon as you saw him, and I don't know what '_slagging_' means, but I'm pretty sure that it's not polite language, which means that you were cussing him out too!" She continued in a snarl of anger.

"She's got you there Ratchet! Because you did _exactly_ what she just accused you of, and everyone knows it!" Arcee added quickly as she sided with Amber.

Arcee knew that the kind of banter she was engaging the medic with was friendly even if a touch criticizing, and that there wouldn't be any harm derived from her comment. The way that Amber might see such actions though, just might prove to be a different story, and Arcee was hoping that by actively siding with the girl, that she could gain some of Amber's trust, or at least a bit of her friendship.

Arcee knew that Amber would need to talk about her experiences at some point, and she also knew that such a thing would never occur with anyone that the girl didn't trust to some extent. Earning such trust from another Cybertronian was something that might take hundreds of human years, and Amber didn't have anything even close to that kind of lifespan available to her. It was a situation that Arcee was unfamiliar with, and one that made it imperative that she either gain the necessary trust herself, or assist someone else in gaining that trust.

Ratchet huffed in annoyance, because he knew that there was no way he could argue that point. Then, the CMO narrowed his optics at Amber who was being held protectively against Bluestreak's open chest. "Would you mind getting out of the way so I can finish his slagging _repairs_?" He demanded in a near growl.

Bluestreak nervously set Amber to one side so that she would be out of the medic's way, although he kept a wary optic and his attention focused on the medic the entire time.

"Mean old _grouch_!" Amber muttered angrily.

"What was that? Did I just hear something or was that my imagination?" Ratchet asked as if speaking to the air around him.

"I called you a mean old grouch! If you want to know why, it's because you're mean, rude, and grouchy, and I don't like you!" Amber retorted loudly.

"I am _not_ mean!" Ratchet retorted quickly.

"Yes you are! Bluestreak hasn't said anything but nice things about you, and so far, all you've done is be mean to him. He hasn't even done anything to deserve being treated like that, and that just proves how mean you are." Amber told the CMO sourly.

"I wouldn't actually say that Ratchet is '_mean_', Amber. Although I'd certainly agree that he's very grouchy and often rude." Arcee said from her blue frame as she brought a chair so Amber could be comfortable while she observed Bluestreak's repairs.

As Amber took a seat in the proffered chair, Captain Summers climbed the ladder to stand on the berth where Amber was trying to watch everything that was going on. She wasn't at all pleased with the way the Autobot Medic seemed to be deliberately provoking Amber, because she felt that what Amber really needed was time to calm down, relax, and recover from what had happened to her, and Amber wouldn't be able to do that if she was constantly angry at the CMO.

"Your name's Ratchet, right? Well, I'm Captain Gail Summers of the United States Marines, and I'd _really_ appreciate it if you would stop antagonizing Amber! I don't know if you're doing it intentionally or not, and I don't _care_, because either way, the attitude needs to be dropped!" Gail said firmly.

"First, I'm not _antagonizing_ anyone! Second, this is _my_ medical bay, and I can tend to my patients as I see fit. Third, you are _not_ in my chain of command, and do _not_ have the right to give me orders of _any_ kind!" Ratchet said as he shot a glare at the Marine.

"You're absolutely right! I'm not in the same chain of command you're in. Lieutenant, I _order_ you to get a hold of General Watson and ask him to come to the med bay! I'll see if he can pass a word or two along to Optimus Prime, and we'll just let trouble roll down the ranks in _his_ chain of command!" Captain Summers spoke without taking her eyes off the medic.

"_Yes Ma'am_! I'll do that immediately!" Rachel said as she started for the door of the med bay.

"Hold it! I know for a fact that the Lieutenant isn't in your chain of command, because she's not even in the same _branch_ of the military!" Ratchet exclaimed.

"You're right; I'm _not_ in her chain of command! Not while on standard military duty anyway. But _this_ is a Gatekeeper issue, and _that_ puts her as my superior officer, and in my chain of command. You're about to find out the _hard_ way that we Gatekeepers aren't to be jacked with while on duty as such!" Rachel retorted hotly.

"And what exactly is it that you want from me again?" Ratchet said in a barely controlled hiss of anger as he looked back at Gail.

"What I want is actually very simple. You will keep a civil tongue in your head when speaking to Amber or you'll keep silent. I will _not_ have you provoking her anymore. Is that clear?" Gail said firmly.

"Perfectly!" Ratchet growled as he turned back to Bluestreak's repairs.

"Very well." Gail replied before turning her head slightly to her right. "Stand down Lieutenant, the situation appears to be under control. But if anything else occurs, you are to carry out my previous orders immediately!" She added over her shoulder.

"Yes Ma'am." Rachel said as she walked back over to where she had been talking quietly with the others.

Amber stared at the Marine Captain in astonished disbelief. She had thought that the woman didn't like her for some reason, but what she had just seen had totally blown her mind. Amber could see that the Marine wasn't wearing a gun, but she was pretty sure that if the woman _had_ been wearing one, she would have been ready to use it! Amber just couldn't believe that someone who had acted as if they didn't like her would be ready to start a fight or get one of the robots in trouble just so she would get talked to a little nicer. It just didn't make any sense… _unless_… Unless the woman really _did_ like her, and had really been telling the truth when she had said that she was only following the rules about not letting her have a knife at dinner.

Amber lowered her head in shame as those thoughts went through her mind. She'd been sure that Gail was just being mean by not letting her have a knife to eat with, but now; she thought she understood what Gail had meant when the woman had said that she wasn't crazy about this situation. Amber knew that she owed the woman an apology for the way she had acted. That was when she realized that she owed _all_ of the women an apology for the way she'd acted at dinner, especially Mrs. Collins.

Amber sat in the chair facing Bluestreak and Ratchet feeling no more than two inches tall. She knew that she had been not only mean but very rude at dinner, and after the way that Gail and the others had put the shelves on the walls of her room, it wasn't something that they deserved. Those women had done something nice for her and she had acted like one of those _really_ spoiled brats from one of her movies! Not only had she not been made to pay for any of the things that had been given to her, but she hadn't even been _asked_ to pay for them! For her to turn around and act that way was nothing less than mean and rotten, and the realization that she had done that made her feel really horrible.

Amber got up out of the chair and turned towards Gail when she spotted the small staircase the led down to the floor at the end of the large metal platform she was on. She glanced back at Bluestreak and Ratchet to see that Bluestreak was still getting fixed. From everything that Bluestreak had told her, she was now fairly sure that Ratchet would do a good job of fixing her friend, and as long as Ratchet didn't try to hit Bluestreak, then she wouldn't have to worry so much. Going down the small set of stairs, Amber walked up to the group of women that included Rachel, Kimberly, Mikeala, and Arcee's pink frame, along with Sarah Lennox and Jazz. A glance behind her showed the girl that both Gail and Arcee's blue frame had followed her. The group had been talking somewhat quietly when Amber had approached them, but they were all silent as they looked at her, and Amber knew that they were expecting her to say something.

Amber looked at the floor of the med bay nervously before she started speaking. "I'm sorry for the way I acted at dinner. I know I was being a pain, and I know better than to act like that… and… I'm sorry." Amber said before she turned and quickly headed for the door.

Everyone in the med bay was surprised by the sudden apology that Amber had blurted out before she had all but bolted for the exit. There were only four who were not too surprised to act. Ratchet gaped at the girl in genuine surprise, while brandishing a wrench that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere to keep Bluestreak in place, who had started to get up to follow Amber. Then there was Arcee, and Captain Summers who both followed Amber just as quickly as they could.

"_Stay put, Bluestreak! I'll go with her and see if I can get her to return. She probably just needs to calm down a bit, because it was pretty obvious that she had to delete some of her pride in order to apologize like that."_ Arcee immediately sent to the grey mech as her Blue frame followed Amber.

As she followed her newest charge, Gail couldn't help but notice the slight bit of awkwardness with which Amber was moving. Even though the girl was hiding it well, Gail could see that she was in some kind of pain. That realization only prompted her to move even faster as she acted to catch up to Amber.

"Amber wait! Please, just stop and listen to me for a moment, okay." Gail said as she caught up.

When Amber abruptly stopped and turned around, Gail could see tears in the girl's eyes.

"Thank you for stopping so I can talk to you. Look… it takes a _very _strong person to apologize when they're wrong, and I respect what you just did. I know that apologizing like that couldn't have been easy, but you did it anyway, and I admire that." Gail said sincerely once Amber was looking at her. "I also know _why_ you were acting that way, and I fully understand your reasons. You have every right to be ticked off at me right now. I'm the one who wouldn't bend any rules to let you have a knife to eat with, and I'm also the one in charge of keeping an eye on you. By military regulations, that means that I'm the one who should take the responsibility for any problems that arise from this." She added honestly.

"Just because I have an excuse, doesn't give me the right to act like I don't know any better." Amber said sadly.

Gail smiled warmly as she reached out to place her hand on Amber's shoulder. Her smile faltered just a bit when the girl stepped back quickly, but she didn't allow that to affect what she wanted to say. "You're right, Amber. Having an excuse isn't justification, but I know you've got a lot to deal with right now, and I know you have a good reason to be mad at me, and that's fine, because that's a part of my job. I get to be the one who you are always mad at; I get to be the one who gets cussed out, called names, insulted, and hated, because I'm the one in charge, and that means that I get to take the blame. I'm the one who has to be the bad guy. The biggest and probably toughest part of my job is to help you in any way I can, so whatever problems you have, and it doesn't matter how big or how small you think they are… I want you to know that you can talk to me about those problems, and I'll do my best to try to help… Okay?"

Amber didn't know what she was supposed to say to that. She just couldn't believe that Gail was still being nice after the way she'd been treated. Amber knew that her Papas would never have put up with such behavior, so she couldn't figure out why Gail was willing to put up with it. Not knowing what to say, Amber just nodded her head and turned to leave.

When Amber turned around to leave, Gail knew that the girl was still feeling guilty for her earlier actions. "Hey, Amber? Don't worry about dinner… believe me… I've seen a _lot_ worse! So don't punish yourself over it, okay? Besides, I think that trying to eat that chicken with a spoon was punishment enough, don't you?"

Amber nodded her head without really looking up at the older woman.

"Good. So… what do you want to do now? Go back in there and wait for your friend Bluestreak, or do you want to see if we can finish setting up your room?" Gail asked to change the subject.

"Will Bluestreak know where to find me?" Amber asked nervously.

"Yes Amber, he will. I've already given him directions on how to get to the building where your quarters are, and I'll be there with you, so he can just home in on my comm signal." The Blue Arcee unit said as she walked over.

Amber was torn between wanting to finish putting her things away in a room that was a lot larger than the one she'd had while living with her Papas, and going back into the medbay to make sure that Ratchet didn't hit Bluestreak again.

Arcee could see the indecision on the girl's face, and decided to see if she could help with that. "If you would like to see to your quarters, Amber, I can keep the comm line open so you can still talk to Bluestreak while you finish getting your things put away."

Arcee knew from the look on Amber's face that she had placed the exact amount of torque on the bolt with that suggestion, because the girl's expression relaxed noticeably.

"I… I'd like that. I just don't want Ratchet hitting Bluestreak again. He doesn't deserve that." Amber replied.

"You're right Amber. And Ratchet knows it too. That's why he won't hit Bluestreak anymore. The only reason he did that the first time was because Ratchet thought that he had done something foolish and injured himself more than he was originally just to be doing something. Once Ratchet understood that Bluestreak had done what he did in order to save your life, that made things a _much_ different story. Bluestreak had a _very_ good reason for making his damage worse, and wasn't off doing something stupid, which is what Ratchet had thought that he'd done." Arcee explained carefully.

"Arcee's telling you the truth Amber. Ratchet doesn't like for a bot to be damaged. And he _really_ doesn't like it when a bot makes whatever damage they have worse by doing something they really shouldn't be doing. That's when Ratchet gets overheated processors and starts hitting bots in their helms with that wrench of his. That's like right now, Ratchet is angry at Sunstreaker, because Sunstreaker wants his paint and wax job fixed, and Ratchet says he needs to do that himself. Ratchet doesn't like it when he has to do a lot of extra work because a bot did something stupid, but he really does understand when there really wasn't anything they could do to avoid getting damaged. So _please_ don't think that Ratchet is a mean bot, because he really isn't." Bluestreak said as his voice emerged from the speakers of Arcee's blue frame.

Amber's eyes got wider and wider and her mouth fell open as she gaped at the Blue Arcee unit. "How in the _world_ did you do that? You sounded just like Bluestreak does!" She exclaimed in surprise.

"That was actually Bluestreak patching in through my comm system after I opened the channel so you could hear him." Arcee explained easily.

"So… when I was yelling earlier… I was really loud and rude… wasn't I?" Amber asked in embarrassment.

"I wouldn't quite put it that way, Amber. You simply didn't know how our comm systems work. Besides, it didn't actually bother either one of us, so there was no harm done." Arcee said with a light smile.

"I'm still sorry about that." Amber replied pensively.

"Don't worry about that, okay? You didn't do any harm, and I'm sure you won't do it again, so I don't see a problem." Arcee returned easily.

Amber nodded her head, and turned to head towards the barracks that was otherwise empty except for her room. As soon as she started in that direction, she heard a few others following her, and looked to see that both of the other two military women, and Mikeala were also coming along. As soon as she got to her room, Amber began pulling her stuffed animals out of the trash bags that they'd been put in, and arranging them neatly on the shelves.

Stuffed unicorns, dolphins, fish, seals, walrus', hippos, dogs, cats, tigers, white tigers, horses, giraffes, crabs, turtles, teddy bears, even a pair of stuffed dragons, along with some things that weren't even identifiable as an animal were placed on those shelves. The observers noticed that Amber was rather protective of her collection because of the way that each one was being carefully handled while placed in its assigned position. The last stuffed animal to be put in place was a large three foot tall fuzzy white teddy bear with a blue ribbon tied in a bow around its neck, which was placed on the pillows at the head of her bed.

"Just how many do you have?" Rachel asked curiously once she saw the entire collection on display.

"Two hundred and sixteen." Amber replied as she began pulling her Gundam Wing statues out of the few boxes that had been found.

The eyebrows of the military personnel rose as they saw the robotic looking things that were _very_ similar to the mechs that inhabited the base. The various robotic figures were brandishing swords, machine guns, cannons, rocket launchers of various types, and were obviously built for war. It wasn't until Amber set the final figure on her desk that any comments were made.

"What is _that_? It looks a _lot_ like Bluestreak! At least… in the cranial plates anyway." Arcee exclaimed.

"That's the Gundam Zero! That one's always been my favorite." Amber replied with a lot of pride in her voice. "I just can't believe how much it looks like Bluestreak. That was the one of the things I noticed about him when I woke up this morning. The only differences is that Bluestreak changes into a car, and he's _real_! The Gundam Zero changes into a super jet, but it's not real, even though I still wish I had one."

"Why would you still want something like that if you get to hang around with the real thing?" Kimberly asked in confusion.

"A Gundam isn't alive like Bluestreak or Arcee, and they can't think or talk either. A Gundam is something that you have to _pilot_! It's sort of like driving I guess, since you have to be specially trained to do it. But I still think it would be _incredibly cool_!" Amber answered excitedly.

"You know, Amber. It probably _would_ be an interesting experience, to be able to control something like that if they're as large as an Autobot." Arcee replied.

"Some Gundams are supposed to be close to fifty feet tall, so I don't know if that makes them the same size as an Autobot or not, since I'm not sure how tall all of you are." Amber said doubtfully.

"That would make these Gundams of yours _much_ larger than most of the Autobots, Amber. Most of us are between twenty to thirty feet tall, but then thee are some of us like Jazz, or Arcee, who are smaller than that. Then there are others like Fortress Maximus who are _much, much_ bigger! From what I can see of your statues, these Gundams of yours would have some excellent weapons along with a decent size advantage against an average Decepticon. Are you sure that they aren't real? They would provide a _definite_ advantage if we encountered any Decepticons." Bluestreak chimed in through Arcee's comm system.

"I can guarantee that they're not real, Bluestreak. If they were, then believe me, we would have been using them _long_ before now." Rachel said wistfully. "It's too bad too, because after seeing those models or whatever they are, I'd kinda like to see one of those things in action."

"Even if they _were_ real, they still wouldn't have been able to save me last night, but Bluestreak _did_. I… I don't even know what I'm supposed to do now. I can't go back to where I live, because then my Papas would find me and kill me… I… I can't even go back to my school anymore." Amber said as the full realization of her predicament struck her.

"Amber…" Gail began while she tried to gather her thoughts to say _something_ to reassure the girl. "What you're supposed to do now is relax. Okay? Pull yourself together and just… just go with the flow of things around here I guess."

Gail paused as she suddenly realized that unlike any of her previous charges, Amber literally had no life that she could return to, there was no daily routine that would be familiar and comforting to her, and no one that she was familiar enough with to share her inner thoughts or feelings with. Amber was in a class by herself, and Gail realized that it made her job just that much harder, but at the same time, it only made her that much more determined to see this through successfully.

"I know that sounds kind of lame, but at least it's an idea… and now that I think about it, it sounds like after the day you had yesterday, that you need a _vacation_! So that's what you'll do for the next few days. You just have a nice, restful, and relaxing time of things. You let _us_ do the worry thing for a while, and you can just kick back and take things easy. You can worry about what the future might hold some other time, because I'm sure that your friends might have a few ideas a little later. How does that sound?" Gail asked as she thought about how to postpone any concerns about the future.

"I don't think that's going to be as easy as it sounds." Amber replied sourly.

"Well, do you have a better idea? I mean, until someone comes up with something, there really isn't much you can do, now is there?" Rachel added quickly. "Besides, a vacation is something everyone needs sooner or later, and you do look like you could use the time to relax. Didn't you say that you enjoyed drawing? Well, why not do that for a few days. Think about it… nothing to do but relax, draw, watch movies, and hang out with Bluestreak, and his friends. Who knows… you might even get to like them. It's not like it'll hurt to try; will it?"

"Rachel _does_ have a point you know? The summer vacation starts at the end of next week anyway, so there's no way to enroll you in school now. So why not kick back and relax; do something that you like to do, have some fun for once!" Gail added quickly.

"What about my chores and stuff?" Amber asked as she looked up at Gail doubtfully.

"What _chores_ do you think you're going to have here?" Mikeala put in.

"I… I'm supposed to do dishes, the laundry, the cooking, and clean the house." Amber protested.

"I hate to tell you this Amber, but since you aren't allowed to have any weapons; you won't be able to do any dishes, or cooking since you can't be allowed to use any kind of knife. Besides, the soldiers in the mess hall do all that anyway, and since you're not in the Military, you can't help 'em out. As far as the laundry goes, the only things that you'll need to worry about are yours. The only rooms that you'll need to keep clean, is this room and your bathroom, and we'll even give you a hand with that if you want. I mean, you'll have to do what… vacuum, clean the shower, and scrub the toilet once a week. Okay, so you _should_ make your bed everyday... but you don't actually have to even do that, since you aren't in the military." Gail stated before taking a good look around the room. "From what I can see… the toughest thing to clean is going to be all those statues of yours, but they don't look very dusty to me." She said honestly.

"What about the rest of this house?" Amber asked in surprise.

"That's for someone else to deal with, once they get assigned here, and I don't think that's going to happen as long as you're living in these barracks. So it looks to me like you're going to have a _lot_ of free time on your hands. So… what kind of things do you plan to draw?" Gail answered quickly.

Amber gaped at everyone in stark disbelief. "Um… I usually just draw different Gundams and things like that." She said softly before she looked back up at the women. "I _really_ don't have to do any chores?"

"Just the ones needed for these two rooms and your laundry." Gail replied almost smugly.

Amber sat down on her bed with a mass of confusion in her mind. She was trying to make sense of things but she found that it wasn't as easy as adults always made it seem. With no thought to her actions, she reached over and grabbed the large white teddy bear, and pulled it to her in a rather tight embrace, while she tried to figure out what to do next.

Gail had to resist the urge to frown when she saw how Amber had unknowingly demonstrated just how lonely and friendless she really was. Moving over to the bed, she sat down and tried to pull the girl into an embrace, because it was obvious that she needed one.

As soon as Gail reached out to pull Amber into a hug, the girl was ducking away, and looking at her with angry suspicion and concern on her face. That expression nearly broke Gail's heart, because it _showed_ her just how severely distrustful of adults, the girl had become. She knew that Amber had been raped by at least one of the four assailants who'd also tried to kill the girl, but now she could see first hand, that those four men had also destroyed the girl's trust of _any_ adult; male _or_ female! It wasn't an easy thing to realize, especially when she considered that she was there to help Amber in any way she could, but without a friend that was trusted, who could the girl turn to? A flash of inspiration almost made her smile, but the US Marine instantly suppressed the action, and pulled her hand back to her side.

"Look, Amber. You've only been here a few hours, so you haven't had a chance to get settled yet. I mean… you still haven't even unpacked everything. So why don't you just try to relax, get a little sleep, and worry about tomorrow when it gets here." Gail suggested quickly. "I'll bet your friend Bluestreak would be able to come up with a few ideas for you. Besides, tomorrow will be whole new day and you won't have to deal with moving everything you own, and if you have any questions about anything, all you have to do is ask Bluestreak or one of us. That won't be too hard will it?"

Amber shook her head as she looked up. She was watching the woman warily, because she had a pretty good idea of what might be expected of her, and she didn't want to go through that right now. At least her Papas had always given her a couple of days to recover before they'd done it again, and she didn't want to hurt anymore than she already was.

"Good. Now why don't you get changed into your night clothes, and try to get some sleep? I'm pretty sure that this has been a rough and hectic day, and the sooner you wake up, the sooner it'll be behind you." Gail suggested warmly.

Amber nodded her head, and set her teddy bear back in its place. Then, she went to her dresser and pulled out her nightgown. Light pink with lots of frilly white lace, it completely covered her arms and went all the way to the floor. Going into the bathroom, she started to shut the door, but hesitated before looking over at Gail expecting to be told to leave it open.

"Go ahead and close the door, Amber. We're not going to watch you change." Gail instructed gently.

As soon as the door was closed, Gail turned to the other two soldiers. "Sergeant Stratton, you've got first watch. I want you to wake her up at the first sign of _any_ nightmares! That isn't something she needs to deal with right now."

"Understood Captain. I know the drill. If she wants to talk, I'm right here, if not, I'm a fly on the wall." Kimberly answered with a sharp nod of her head.

Arcee narrowed the optics on her blue frame as she noticed how the three women deliberately dropped almost _all_ military rank and protocol while Amber was present, but immediately picked it up the instant she wasn't around. That was when she realized that these women were using their first names towards each other in Amber's presence in order to establish a type of informal atmosphere and make things seem a little friendlier for the girl. It seemed like a sound plan, and Arcee found herself silently applauding the human soldiers and hoping that their plan would work. She also intended to find out more about what their goals concerning Amber were, because she felt that something was off, but she couldn't place a servo on it.

_**Author's notes: **I am aware of what Hentai is, but there are a LOT of people who aren't. Needless to say, there will be a bit of a problem when the truth becomes known._

_This is also the last of my prewritten chapters, so future updates may take awhile, but just like the search for all Amber Alert Children, it will NOT be abandoned OR forgotten!_

_Keep checking the "Missing" Posters, please._


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

_**Author's Notes: As the rescue of Amanda Barry proves, it is NEVER too late to find those who are missing! Although the victim might be declared dead after seven years, Amanda Barry proves that the poor soul can STILL be found alive! PLEASE keep checking the Missing Person posters! Some people might give up, but keep in mind that there are MANY others who will not! May God Bless you, and your daughter Amanda, and may your captors be delivered to the worst place in hell, because they deserve SO much more! Thank all the Gods who ever existed in myth and reality for burger munching old men who pay attention and are willing to get involved!**_

_**ALSO… please check the following site often. of course that has a 'www' in front of it, but you know how this site is.**_

Amber came out of the bathroom, and glanced around nervously. She really hoped that she wasn't going to have to try to sleep with all of these people watching her. She was just about to ask about it when Mikeala spoke up.

"Look Amber, it's been a long day, and I know you've got a lot to get used to right now. So you sleep on it, and I'll see you in the morning, okay? We can have breakfast together, and I'll introduce you to some of the other Autobots, how does that sound?" Mikeala offered kindly.

"That sounds pretty good." Amber replied with a light smile.

"Great! I'll see you then. Good night Amber and just try to relax a little." Mikeala suggested before she left the room.

"Since Kimberly has the first night watch, Rachel and I will also call it a night. It was nice meeting you Amber; I only wish that it had happened under better circumstances. Kimberly will be with you for the first half of tonight, so if you need anything, or want anything and I do mean _anything_; you just speak up, and she'll either help you get it, or have someone to get it for you. Later, I'll switch off with her so she can get some sleep. I really meant what I said earlier. Whatever problems you've got; we're here to help, okay? So try not to worry about anything, and get a good night sleep." Gail said sincerely.

Amber nodded her head a little hesitantly as she looked back and forth between the two women.

"Good. You sleep well Amber, and I'll see you tomorrow." Rachel smiled.

Amber watched with no small amount of relief as the two women left leaving her with Arcee, and Kimberly.

"I've enjoyed our time together Amber. And I want you to know, that I consider you to be a friend. Bluestreak and I will be right outside. He's out there now, so don't worry about anything. If you need either one of us, just give a shout, or come outside, and we'll be happy to spend some more time with you. For right now though, you really should try to get some rest. You had a rough time last night, and I know that a good sound sleep is just what the doctor would order. We'll be right outside when you wake up in the morning, so sleep peacefully my friend." Arcee said gently before she smiled wider than she had been.

"Bluestreak asked me to tell you that he's fully repaired, and that he's really looking forward to seeing you in the morning. He's hoping that you'll feel fine, and that he's curious as to what you'll have for breakfast…" Arcee said with a puzzled look on her face before she broke off for a moment. "Bluestreak… _please_. Amber needs to relax so she can go to sleep, not get her mind so worked up in a conversation that she ends up thinking all night long."

Amber burst out in a giggling laugh, because she just _knew_ how her friend was just going on and on. "He does that a lot doesn't he? Well, except when he tries to lie about something. That's when he keeps it short."

The optics on Arcee's blue frame shot to their widest setting as she gaped at the girl in front of her, and she was certainly glad she was using a short delay before relaying things to Bluestreak. That short delay meant that she was able to remove that comment from the transmission, so the mech wouldn't figure out what had always given him away. "You've already figured that out? Good! That alone tells me that Bluestreak really does have a good friend in you Amber. There are quite a few bots who've known that mech for several thousand of your years, and they still don't know him well enough to figure that out yet. It tells me that you've actually paid attention to him, and as one of his friends, I appreciate that. I really do. I want you to sleep peacefully Amber, and remember that we're both right outside if you need either one of us for anything."

"Good night Arcee. Good night Bluestreak." Amber said in a better mood as she got in bed.

Sergeant Stratton doused the lights as the Autobot left the room. She watched in silence as Amber crawled beneath her blankets, lay on her back, and tried to sleep. The darkness wasn't complete because of the light coming from under the bathroom door, and that allowed Kimberly to see just fine. She sat down in a chair and relaxed a little. She knew that Amber wasn't at all happy with this, because of the quick nervous glances that were directed at her.

'_The first few nights are always the hardest. It'll take some time for her to get used to this. She may not like it, but she's going to get through this. We'll make sure of that!'_ Kimberly thought determinedly. She had to admit that she didn't know very much about the girl at all, although what she had seen showed her that Amber was fairly polite until provoked, but she admitted wryly that she didn't know the girl very well at all yet, and hoped that the situation would soon change for the better.

Amber snuggled deeper into the blankets of her bed, and thought back over the past two days. It wasn't the first time or the fifth time that she wondered why her Papas had decided to get rid of her. She knew that she was for the most part a good girl who did all her homework, and even got it turned in on time. She studied hard in school, and even maintained fairly decent grades in spite of the fact that she had to study during the times when she wasn't busy with one of her household chores. Those thoughts only brought up more questions. Who was going to keep the house clean, do the laundry, fold the clothes, cook the meals, and wash the dishes? Amber knew that she had been doing all of those things, and that she'd done well at it. The house had always been spotless, and the meals were always ready at a certain time. She always made their snacks when they watched their sports on TV, and cleaned up afterwards. She never interrupted them during any of their conversations, and she didn't even bother them when they watched the news. In fact, she knew that the only times she would ever disobey them was when it was time for their 'games'.

It was the only thing she actually hated. She didn't mind all the chores, or anything else, but she hated those games with an intensity that was often painful. It hurt just to think about them. It hurt the same way that her upper arms, and thighs hurt right now. Sometimes the hate would actually hurt so much that it would feel the same way that her groin and the insides of her lower stomach were hurting at that moment. As Amber thought about those painful games that she hated so much, she couldn't help but wonder if her reluctance to play had been what had caused her Papas to turn so mean so suddenly.

Amber knew that her Papas had been well aware of how much she hated their games, but they had still made her participate with them, so that things she wanted or needed could be paid for. She couldn't begin to say how much she had wanted some way to earn actual money so she would never again have to play any kind of game with her Papas, but somehow, it just never happened that way. Now she was here, in a strange place, with a bunch of strange people, and even… even _robots_!

Amber's thoughts turned to Bluestreak, and everything he'd done for her. He'd let her get out of the rain, and cold. He'd even turned on his heater for her, so she could be comfortable while sitting in his front seat. Bluestreak wasn't supposed to let her know about him, but he'd still revealed himself so that he could help her. Then, her Papas had come back to kill her, and Bluestreak had gotten hurt while saving her from them. Bluestreak had done so many things for her, he made her a knife so she could have something to eat, he kept her out of the rain, and now he'd even brought her to stay with his friends. But none of that was the weirdest part of this whole mess.

The weirdest thing was that Bluestreak didn't want her to play any of those horridly painful games with him; all he wanted was for her to stay with him so he wouldn't have to remember bad stuff that had happened to him. It was something that meant so much to her that she didn't have the slightest idea of how to express that meaning.

Then there was Arcee. She was a very good friend of Bluestreak's, and he spoke very highly of her. Arcee was nice, and had told her some things about Bluestreak. Arcee had also said that she considered her a friend. Amber wasn't at all sure what to make of any of this. Everything was happening so fast, and now she had several people she didn't even know claiming her as their friend.

Amber glanced around the room as she tried to make some kind of sense of everything. That was when she caught sight of another disturbing aspect of this mess… Kimberly.

The woman was sitting there and not even watching her while she was trying to go to sleep. But somehow, she could _feel_ the woman's eyes on her, and it just somehow gave her a serious case of the creeps. Even though her Papas had loved to look at her and would often make her dance while not wearing any clothes at all, even they had never watched her sleep like this! It was totally creeping her out. Amber rolled onto her left side and put her back to the door and the woman in the room with her, but it didn't help. Amber could almost feel the woman's eyes boring into her back, and even though it was really unnerving, it also scared her more than a little.

Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. Amber sat up in bed, reached behind her, grabbed her pillow, and pulled it in front of her.

"What's wrong Amber? Do you need something?" Kimberly asked without hesitation.

"Can I go sit with Bluestreak and talk to him for a while?" Amber asked softly while doubting that she'd be allowed to do so.

"Sure! He's right outside. Come on." Kimberly answered with a smile as she got up and opened the door that led out into the main barracks.

Amber grabbed her pillow, and slid out of bed, before moving hesitantly out the door. As soon as she was outside, Amber saw the old car that she knew was actually Bluestreak which sitting a short way from the front door. With her pillow tucked under her arm, Amber walked over to the driver's side door and tapped lightly on the roof because she remembered Arcee telling her about her friend's doors.

"Bluestreak? Are… are you still awake?" Amber asked in a nervous but hopeful whisper.

"Oh yes, Amber. I haven't gone into recharge yet, because Arcee was nice enough to give me a program that will let me use your internet with out having to face all those pop-up sites. I found the internet last night and I was able to find a lot of information about young humans like you, but then all these different sites started showing up on my HUD, and it was just _awful_. With this program that Arcee gave me, I don't have to deal with those this time, so I can look around all I want. There's all kinds of amazing information on your world Amber. This is a lot like the data network we used to have back on Cybertron, where we could learn or research almost anything we needed to know. Thanks to your internet, I can learn a lot about how to take better care of you now. One thing I've learned is that you'll need more recharge time or sleep as you humans call it, because you're still young. So why aren't you in bed right now, is there something wrong?" Bluestreak answered excitedly.

"Um… can I get in your front seat? Please?" Amber asked nervously.

"Of course you can, Amber! I don't want you getting cold, and it's much colder here than it was where we were last night, and you're not wearing as much clothing as you were last night either. So I really think you should get in out of the cold. That way you won't get sick. I know you can't catch any kind of cyber virus, but I've learned that there are organic viruses that you can catch, and I really don't want that to happen to you." Bluestreak said as he opened his driver's side front door.

Amber climbed in the front seat of the old LTD, and placed her pillow in her lap as the door closed and the heater came on immediately. "I'm sorry to bother you like this, Bluestreak… but I… I just can't sleep with someone staring at me like that. It makes me feel weird and it gives me the creeps!"

"Would you feel better sleeping on one of my seats? I don't know if that would be very comfortable for you or not, but I would think it _has_ to be more comfortable than my hands were last night. I didn't let you get cold then, and I won't let you get cold tonight either…" Bluestreak began earnestly.

"Thanks Bluestreak. I'm sorry for bothering you like this, but I… I've never had to… I've never been treated… I've never been watched like …" Amber stopped as tears welled in her eyes hazel eyes and she struggled to hold them back.

She _hated_ being watched like she was some kind of spy or criminal. She didn't think she'd done anything to deserve it, in fact, she was _sure_ she hadn't, but they were still doing it.

Bluestreak wasn't exactly sure why Amber was upset like she was, but it was obvious to him from what she'd said that she didn't want those soldiers to watch her sleep; that was one problem he could easily deal with. He began darkening his windows until no amount of light could get through; at the same time, he activated the interior lights that were a part of his alt mode. He hoped that would solve the problem nicely.

"How's this Amber? Does adjusting my windows help any? If you don't want me to watch you sleep, then I promise I won't do that. I didn't watch you last night, although I think maybe I should have, since I was in my standard mode, and might have really injured you when I came out of recharge if I had started moving before finding out where you were. I'm sure that neither one of us would have liked that result. I know that I don't want you hurt, and I'm sure that you don't want to get hurt, but then, I don't know of anyone that does like getting hurt." Bluestreak asked.

"That will work great! Thank you, Bluestreak. I just… I just can't deal with being stared at when I _know_ I'm being stared at like that. It feels weird, and I don't like it." Amber admitted sullenly.

"If you want to, you can sleep right where you are. That won't bother me at all. In fact, I'd feel better, because I'd know that you're safe, and that no one could do anything to you without me knowing about it, and doing something to stop it. All I have to do is lock my doors, and no one can get in, unless I let them in, and I wouldn't do that to you." Bluestreak suggested hopefully.

Amber's mouth dropped open in surprise. She hadn't expected her friend to allow her to sleep in his front seat, all she had wanted to do was get away from those watchful eyes for a while, but this was an even better idea! She placed her pillow off to her right in the passenger side of the seat, and lay down on it.

"Thanks Bluestreak! You're the best!" Amber said quietly. "Would… would you mind turning off the light until I wake up?"

"Oh, no. Not at all. If you come out of recharge before I do, just call my name like you did this morning, and I'll come online. If I emerge from recharge first, then I can wait until you're done with yours, and then we can find out what to do about tomorrow. How does that sound?" Bluestreak said as he shut off his interior lights.

"That sounds like a plan to me. Good night, Bluestreak, sleep well, and have nice dreams." Amber said sleepily.

"Good night Amber, you sleep well and have nice dreams too." Bluestreak replied happily.

Bluestreak could feel his spark filling with a bit of pride at being called 'the best' by his new charge. He kept his attention on the girl as she slowly fell asleep.

Kimberly kept her attention focused on the older model car, until the windows went black. Then she took an at ease position nearby, and silently waited. She was a little surprised when the Officer of Staff Duty arrived at oh one hundred hours to ensure that everything was fine, and on the level.

"Is there a problem Lieutenant?" Kimberly asked casually.

"Not that I'm aware of Sergeant, but I did happen to notice that there's no CQ (Charge of Quarters) officer assigned to be on duty for this barracks, and yet it's now showing up as 'occupied', so I wanted to find out what the situation might be." Lieutenant Davis returned immediately.

"That's a bit of a story there Lieutenant, and honestly… as an involved Gatekeeper, I'm not privy to the whole story, but I'll tell you what I can." Kimberly replied heavily.

"Sometime yesterday, a young girl became acquainted with an Autobot. One thing led to another, and she was brought here. So now, we Gatekeeper's are watching over a female minor who has no relatives on this base, and possibly not even in this State, because this all happened elsewhere. Since she's in possession of classified information regarding the Autobots, she's been assigned to live here for the time being." Kimberly said deliberately not revealing any of the particulars of Amber's case.

"What about her parents?" Lt. Davis asked intently. "Have they been contacted about this?"

"That's an issue I am not at liberty to discuss, Lieutenant." Kimberly returned.

Lieutenant Davis blinked in surprise. The implication was that the young girl in question might be charged with High Treason if she failed to cooperate. That was when he decided that the less he knew about a possible underage treason charge, the better off he'd be.

"Understood. Carry on Sergeant." He said as he continued on his rounds of the various barracks of the base.

Kimberly was starting to get more than a bit chilled by the night air of the Nevada desert, but she didn't allow that to deter her attention in the slightest. It didn't matter what the reason might be, if Amber exited that vehicle which was also an Autobot for any reason, then she would be right there. She knew that she was due to be relieved shortly, and while she waited for that to happen, she thought about what she knew of Amber.

She had to admit that the kid had guts. After all, there weren't too many girls her age who would have shoved an adult, much less a US Marine the way Amber had. Then, she chuckled softly as she recalled how violently the girl had thrown the tools of an Autobot _at_ that Autobot! The girl was somewhat soft spoken, and very polite in most cases. But she was obviously _very_ quick to defend Bluestreak with no hesitation. That Amber would be so readily violent while doing so told her that the girl had some psychological issues, and was apparently desperate to keep the only friend she was currently sure of. It was by no means a pleasant revelation, but one that might be put to use by her and the other Gatekeepers in order to better help Amber.

"Why aren't you inside Sergeant?" Capt. Summers demanded angrily as she approached the soldier standing in front of the mostly empty barracks.

Kimberly was jerked out of her thoughts about Amber by the angry demand, but she instantly responded with 'on post' professionalism. "Keep it down a bit Gail."

Gail's eyes instantly narrowed in suspicion. The _only_ times that first names were used was when off duty, or in the presence of the charge, and _this_ was definitely _not_ off duty!

"Where's Amber?" She asked getting to the point.

Kimberly nodded towards the car some distance in front of her. "She's in Bluestreak's front seat. They could be talking, but I _think_ she's asleep, because she does have a pillow with her, and the windows darkened a few minutes after she got in. I don't think she likes the idea of being watched." She said frankly.

"I'm sure she doesn't, but then none of them ever do." Gail replied softly with a breath of relief upon learning that Amber was still safe and sound.

"Gail, I realized something a few minutes ago, while thinking about this case. Amber only seems to get radical when someone does something or says something bad about Bluestreak. Given that she had no friends at home, she may have latched on to him pretty hard. She might respond that way in regards to anyone that she comes to consider a friend… I know it's not much to go on, but it might help." Kimberly said quietly.

"That's entirely possible Kim, and you may be right on that one. In the meantime, it's oh three hundred, so you go get some sleep. I've got it from here. I'll brief Serena when she arrives in the morning." Gail said in a friendly tone.

"Sounds good to me." Kimberly said before she gave a sad shake of her head. "We've _got_ to pull this one off, Gail! I flat _refuse_ to see a girl her age take her own life when she's got so _much_ ahead of her! We've just _got_ to pull her through!" She added in a soft but fervent tone.

"I know Kim. I know… This is what we've been trained for, so we're not going to let that happen, but you know the regs just like I do. We treat her with as much kindness and respect as we can, but we still shouldn't let her know _why_ she's being watched. If she does learn the reason, then she might find a way around our supervision, and we can't allow that." Gail said just as softly.

Kimberly nodded and turned to head to her own quarters to get some sleep.

Unknown to the two women who'd been talking, Arcee had heard every word. Even though her Blue frame was actually in recharge, she still had her communication system open to her Pink frame which was currently active elsewhere on the base. Therefore, she was still aware of what happened around her Blue frame. That Pink frame froze as Arcee considered the implications of that nearly whispered conversation. Now she at least understood why the soldiers were watching Amber, but what she didn't understand, was why they thought Amber would even think of suicide to begin with. To her, that didn't sound like something Amber would even consider. It was something that completely mystified the Autobot.

Arcee had possessed a strong suspicion that something wasn't quite normal about the behavior and mannerisms of the Military women who were watching Amber. The conversation that she'd just heard explained a lot of why Amber was being watched so closely.

Maintaining the open comm line from her Blue frame which was in recharge next to Bluestreak was something she'd done on a spur of the moment because of Amber. She knew that Bluestreak wasn't easily roused from recharge, so she'd made sure that there would be someone available for Amber to speak with if she felt the need. Now she was most certainly glad that she had kept that comm line open. Now, many things made sense to her; the refusal of anything that could be used as a weapon; the constant, wary surveillance, and the rather defensive attitudes that had been displayed by the women. She filed the information away, and decided to keep a close optic on Amber so she could be there to give the girl some time away from the constant supervision if that appeared to be needed.

The bugled tones of reveille had ended long ago, and Gail idly wondered if Amber had even heard it at all. More time passed as the sun began to rise, and although her main focus stayed on the alt mode of Bluestreak parked in front of her, she saw that many soldiers from the Air Force, Army, and Marines were doing their morning run, or other calisthenics. She was mentally chanting along with a Division Sergeant Major as he maintained the cadence for one group of soldiers on their run, when she noticed that the tint of Bluestreak's windshield wasn't quite as dark as it had been. Gail quickly focused her whole attention on the windshield of the bot in front of her and saw that it was slowly, but steadily becoming completely transparent. It wasn't long at all, before she could see Amber sitting up in the front seat with a large pillow clutched in front of her while talking to someone. It didn't take a genius to know that the someone being addressed was Bluestreak.

Bluestreak had emerged from a peaceful recharge some time ago. He'd stayed motionless and silent so that Amber wouldn't be disturbed as she slept in his front seat. Almost as soon as he'd come back online, he'd sent a comm signal to Arcee, and began chatting happily about his new friend and what they might do today. He was well aware of the intermittent sensor pulses that told him Arcee was conducting occasional scans on Amber, but instead of being highly offended by that action, Bluestreak was glad someone with more knowledge and experience regarding humans was willing to help him ensure that Amber was healthy, and happy.

Amber opened her eyes to complete and utter darkness. It wasn't something she was used to, because there had always been light from something or other. The readout of the clock, the screen saver of her laptop, and even the little clock on her DVD player had always given out a little light, but this was just… black. She moved slowly as she began to sit up and realized that she had been asleep in the seat of a car. That was when she remembered asking Bluestreak if she could sleep there because she didn't like the feeling of being watched, but what she couldn't understand was why everything was so dark.

"Are you awake now Amber?"

The question had been asked so softly that she almost didn't hear it. The barely audible whisper made Amber smile when she thought about how Bluestreak was trying to let her sleep.

"I'm getting there. Good morning Bluestreak. It _is_ morning isn't it?" Amber asked uncertainly.

"Oh yes. It's definitely morning. The sun started shining on this area a while ago, but you were still asleep. From what I've learned, a small human like you needs plenty of sleep, so I tried not to disturb you. I didn't wake you up did I?" Bluestreak asked apprehensively.

"I woke up on my own." Amber interrupted to answer the question.

"Oh… okay that's good then, because it means that you got a proper amount of recharge. Do you mind if I call it recharge? I'd call it recharge because your sleep serves the same purpose as recharge, and we've been calling it recharge for I don't know _how_ many millions of your years. But then humans like you didn't know us back then, so you probably wouldn't have thought of calling it recharge like we do." Bluestreak asked curiously.

"It doesn't bother me if you want to call it recharge… as long as you don't mind if I still call it sleeping." Amber replied.

"Oh I don't mind at all. That will only help me get used to human expressions, because I'd still know what you're talking about. Just like you would know what I mean when I say 'recharge' or even 'fuel'. That would be a good thing though, wouldn't it? Because even though we're both using different terms we still mean the same thing." Bluestreak answered quickly.

"Sure." Amber agreed even though she still wasn't fully awake.

Looking out the windshield in front of her, Amber saw a woman she didn't know come up and start talking to Gail who was standing there watching Bluestreak. Amber wasn't able to hear any of the conversation, but she could see that Gail did most of the talking. By the number of times Gail nodded or gestured towards her and Bluestreak, Amber knew that she was the topic of their discussion. It wasn't a good feeling to know that she was being talked about.

"Good morning, Amber. Did you sleep well?" Arcee's cheerful voice asked over the speakers of Bluestreak's radio.

Amber stared at the radio for a second before she looked over at the blue motorcycle parked just a few feet away from the passenger side of Bluestreak and smiled.

"Yes, Ma'am. Once I got in Bluestreak's front seat; I was able to sleep just fine." Amber replied honestly.

"I'm very glad to hear that Amber. A peaceful sleep is something everyone needs." Arcee answered cheerily.

"Bluestreak's the best isn't he? He even made his windows turn black so I wouldn't have to put up with the feeling of being watched while I slept." Amber boasted of her friend.

Arcee could be heard chuckling softly as she made her reply. "Yes, Amber, he is. Bluestreak is one of a kind. I know a lot of people, both bot and human, and I'll say now, that Bluestreak is one of the most loyal and faithful friends a person could ever want. I don't think you could have asked for a better Guardian… _or_ a friend, Amber."

Bluestreak was shocked to his core. This was the second time that Amber had proclaimed him to be the best over something as simple as providing a small bit of privacy by darkening his windows. Then he was even more surprised when Arcee had _agreed_ with it!

Bluestreak felt like his spark was swelling to twice normal size in spite of the knowledge that he hadn't actually done much at all. Okay, so he'd expended a miniscule amount of energy to darken his windows, it wasn't like saving her life the way he'd had to do the night before.

Suddenly, Bluestreak couldn't help but wonder if Amber was referring to everything he'd done to try to help her. _'Does she think I'm the best because of what I did? I didn't do anything that any other Autobot wouldn't have done. All I did was to try to do what was right… that doesn't make me a hero does it?' _

Bluestreak didn't know how to answer either one of those questions. What he _did_ know was that Amber apparently thought very highly of him, and he wasn't at all sure that she should. After all, he knew that he had quite a few faults that he was certain would demonstrate that he wasn't any kind of a hero to anyone. Amber's insistence that he was 'the best' made his spark seem to swell with pride, but also made him feel unworthy of such high praise at the same time.

Amber knew that Arcee wasn't just making idle talk when she stated what kind of friend Bluestreak was, because she was well aware of everything that Bluestreak had done.

'_He let me warm up when I was cold; he saved me when my Papas were trying to kill me; he scared them off so I'd be safe. He cut up a rock and even a tree that was already on fire so I could have something to eat. He kept me warm and dry when it was raining. He even let me sleep in his front seat so I wouldn't get the creeps from being watched all night. Arcee said that he was trapped with a bunch of dead bodies for two whole years! Bluestreak did a lot for me, and all he wants in return is someone to talk to, so he doesn't have to remember all that stuff.'_ Amber thought seriously.

'_I don't blame him for not wanting to remember that. Being trapped for two whole years with all kinds of dead bodies from his friends, family, and neighbors must give him all kinds of nightmares and stuff. If it does, then he might want someone to be with him while he's asleep. I'll bet that's why Arcee stays close to him, because she doesn't want him to have those nightmares. Wait… if Arcee helps Bluestreak like that, then that means she must really care about him, and how he feels. My Papas never cared about my nightmares, but then they were the ones who always gave me those nightmares to begin with. I hate dreaming about playing their stupid games! Arcee's been really nice to me so far, and she got me and Mikeala lunch yesterday without asking either one of us to pay for it. She even said that she considered me to be her friend… she even called me her friend before she came outside last night. What if she wants to be the kind of friend that I've seen in some of my movies? Could she really just want to do things for me just because she likes me? Papa Dave always said that friends like that aren't real… but then robots aren't supposed to be real either. I guess I'll just have to wait and see what happens.'_ Amber thought as she tried to understand the two bots that were now a part of her life.

"So Amber… are you ready to get dressed and find out what they have for breakfast in the mess hall?" Arcee asked cheerfully.

"Sure, but I plan on getting a shower first… if that's okay." Amber finished softly.

"I don't think that would be much of a problem, but you should ask Gail about that one." Arcee answered.

Amber nodded her head, and tightened the grip on the pillow in front of her as she got out of the car.

"Good morning Amber. Were you able to sleep okay? The front seat of a car doesn't really make the best bed, does it?" Gail asked in a good mood.

"I slept just fine! Bluestreak was great and made sure that nothing bothered me, and he even made sure that everything was just right so I didn't even need a blanket." Amber replied heatedly.

"Well that's good! Glad to hear it. Now, what do you say to getting dressed and heading over to the mess hall to grab some breakfast?" Gail answered with a light smile.

'_I think Kimberly might be right. Even suggesting that Bluestreak's front seat wasn't the best place to sleep has this girl ready for a fight!'_ Gail realized quickly.

"Is… is it okay if I take a shower first?" Amber asked a little sullenly but pensively at the same time.

"Sure! Go ahead. I'll introduce you to Serena afterwards while we're heading to the chow hall." Gail replied easily.

Amber nodded her head and went into the barracks, followed by Gail, Serena, and Arcee as well. Once she got to the room where most of her things were, she quickly grabbed what clothes she wanted and went into the bathroom. She closed the door and started to get undressed, when the doorknob turned. Amber immediately threw her entire weight against the door while visions and memories of extremely unsavory and _very_ painful actions flew through her mind.

Gail knew at once what Amber had done, but she made sure that she kept her composure. "Amber? Can you open the door for just a second? I just need to talk to you for a moment, okay?"

None of the females present were stupid. They could hear the ragged breathing on the other side of the door and knew that Amber was close to losing it for some reason. Without knowing more about the girl, the two Gatekeepers' could only guess at the possible causes. They could hear the young girl on the other side of the door trying to regain some composure, and a few seconds later, the door opened slowly.

As the bathroom door opened, it revealed that the clothes and towels that had been dropped carelessly on the floor. A young girl in a light pink nightgown with white lace, sandy blonde hair, hazel eyes, and an expression of stark terror on her face stood looking back at her.

"Relax Amber. Nothing's wrong, I just wanted to remind you that the door will need to be cracked open a little once you're in the shower. The same as yesterday… okay?" Gail said in a gentle tone after seeing the girl in a state of near terror.

Amber nodded her head nervously, and Gail only smiled softly before pulling the door closed. "Just give a shout once you're in, okay." Gail called out.

Within seconds, the sound of running water could be heard, and then a couple of moments later Amber called out that she was in the shower.

"Okay… you want to explain why she looked like she thought we were about to rip her head off and hang it on a wall?" Serena demanded as quietly and calmly as she could manage.

"I know you haven't been briefed yet, but you should understand, that Amber's had it _very_ rough the past couple of days. Part of the reason she's under our watch, is because of her age, and a lack of parents. The other part is that two days ago, the four men who raised Amber, raped her, and threw her out at a rest stop before coming back and trying to kill her." Gail said in a whisper.

"Oh _Jesus_, Gail! That means she's under protective custody as well… doesn't it?" Serena asked in a harsh whisper.

"Yes it does. But that's where things begin to get a little hincky. Amber is being guarded by us, but she's also being watched over by the Autobot named Bluestreak as well." Gail replied evenly.

"What do you mean? Why is an Autobot involved?" Serena asked curiously.

"Bluestreak is involved because he's the one who originally encountered Amber, and saved her life when the perpetrators returned to finish her off. He was the only one around to help her, and he knows that she's just a kid. Long story short, the result is a bunch of programming issues that have turned Bluestreak into an _incredibly_ overprotective parent from hell." Gail explained heavily.

"Okay… just how 'overprotective' are we talking here?" Serena asked dubiously.

"Enough that he might try to shoot someone if they made Amber stub her toe." Gail answered bluntly.

"Oh come on. There's no way that anyone can be _that_ overprotective." Serena retorted.

"Actually, that is very close to the truth right now. The only difference is that Bluestreak _would_ kill someone for causing Amber to actually be injured. All it would take is for someone to make her cry, and Bluestreak's response could very well be lethal. That situation will change once his programming adjusts so that he can properly deal with Amber's actual needs. For now, I will make sure to accompany Amber to prevent any possible overreactions from happening." Arcee explained softly.

"Okay… so can you tell me why he would be that protective of her?" Serena asked suspiciously.

"Look, I don't know much, but from what I do know, and what I've gathered. Amber was raised by four men. At least one of them raped her, and two days ago, all four of them tried to kill her. They actually tried to hunt her down to do it. They fired at the Autobot who was helping her, and I can only thank God that Bluestreak was there to help her, otherwise they would have killed her." Gail whispered angrily. "Amber arrived on base yesterday afternoon, and she's about thirteen years old. She's not even sure about her age at this point, so there has to be a _lot_ that we don't know. Given what little I do know about Amber, she's probably a victim of kidnapping. Why else would she not know for sure how old she is?"

"If that's the case then she doesn't know anyone here!" Serena exclaimed before remembering to keep her voice down.

"That's a distinct possibility Gail. So let me tell you that Amber will not trust anyone lightly, and I am not about to betray anything that I don't think she wouldn't be willing to tell you. You suspect that she was raped. I will now confirm that suspicion… _however_… Amber is _deeply_ ashamed of it, and does _not_ wish to discuss it! Not with you… not with me… and not even with Bluestreak… not with _anyone_. Mikeala has gotten Amber to promise that she would confide in Bluestreak even if she doesn't trust anyone else. The abuse that Amber has endured has caused her to lose trust in _all_ adults… and I have reason to suspect that it even includes me. I do know that she doesn't want to be touched for any reason, so don't try it. Doing so will only cause her to because suspicious of your reasons for touching her. She wouldn't even allow me to touch her in order to offer some level of comfort. Even though they tried to kill her the night before last, Amber still cares for the four men who raised her, and I think that she might even want to return to them…" Arcee was saying softly.

"Stockholm syndrome." Gail whispered in shock.

"Actually… I don't think so. I downloaded a lot of information on psychology last night, and from what I've seen, heard, and guessed about Amber, I think it's closer to 'battered wife syndrome'. She loves the men who raised her, even though there are a lot of aspects that she probably doesn't understand right now. One thing she has repeatedly wondered is why those men decided to 1eave her. She doesn't have any answers to that question, and I don't think she'll like any answer that she gets." Arcee explained softly.

"I think what Amber is going to need right now, more than anything is a friend that _she_ feels she can trust. I hate to be the one to say this, and I hate to admit it, but I don't think that's going to be one of us. That means, we'll have to work on getting her to trust Bluestreak, and hopefully Arcee as well. Having someone that she can feel confident enough to confide in will help her a lot right now. She needs a friend that she can count on… and so far… the only one that _she_ believes to fit the bill is Bluestreak. I think Kimberly hit on something last night. Right now, Bluestreak is the only friend Amber is sure of. She didn't have any friends at school or in her neighborhood either, so she's latched onto him strongly, and Kimberly is _definitely_ right about one thing, saying _anything_ disparaging about Bluestreak puts her _firmly_ on the defensive, and has her ready to get violent. The mere hint that Bluestreak's front seat wasn't the most comfortable place to sleep almost had her just about mad enough to fight." Gail reasoned.

"I think you're right Gail. That fact that Amber didn't have any friends where she was living speaks volumes. Right now, she trusts Bluestreak… _to an extent_. I am emphasizing that fact, because she barely knows him after meeting him less than three days ago. Right now, Amber might believe that he risked his life to save hers, and hasn't asked anything in return except for Amber's company…" Arcee explained carefully.

"_Excuse me?_" Gail interrupted in a hiss of rising anger. "Would you care to explain that last remark?" She demanded suspiciously.

Arcee immediately realized why the Officer was getting angry, even though she knew there was no reason to be, so she quickly began to explain.

"When Bluestreak was much younger, he spent almost two of your years pinned beneath the rubble of his former home. His only company during that time was the lifeless bodies of the dead. His parents, his friends, and even his neighbors were all killed by a Decepticon attack. The only reason he survived is because he was being bodily shielded by the lifeless frame of his mother. Spending that much time while trapped beneath debris and his own dead mother has made Bluestreak terrified of being alone. He is also terrified of remembering that horrible situation which he can never forget. The result is that he constantly needs a companion to talk to. Most of his conversations are completely meaningless to others, but they pose an important distraction from _very_ disturbing memories for Bluestreak. As one of his friends, I am aware of this, and try to keep at least one of my frames near him so he will have someone to talk to. During Amber's ordeal, Bluestreak was able to talk to her, and use those conversations to avoid the panic attack caused by thinking about something he truly wishes he could forget. _That_ is the type of company he has asked of Amber. Just before takeoff, Amber was told exactly why Bluestreak doesn't want to be left alone, and the result was that she tried to stay with him during the flight. It's obvious to Amber that Bluestreak saved her life, and she may want to repay that by trying to stay close to him… or it could be that Bluestreak is currently the only individual that Amber feels she can trust. Either way, she considers him to be the only friend she has." Arcee informed them quietly.

"Wait… are you two telling me that Bluestreak is the only friend Amber's _ever_ had?" Serena demanded in hissed suspicion.

"That's exactly what we're telling you. We talked with Amber a little over dinner last night, and what she told us, has brought up a _lot_ of nasty suspicions about her life prior to arriving here." Gail confirmed.

"It doesn't matter how you choose to describe it, Amber's life has not been exactly pleasant so far. I have told her that coming here will be the start of a whole new life for her, and that it would be much happier than her previous experience. I _fully_ intend to see that such is the case." Arcee said firmly.

"Well Arcee, you can count on The Gatekeepers to help with that. I'm well aware that you know more about Amber than you've told us, and that's fine. We don't ask any personal, or invasive questions, instead, we stand by, ready to help in any way we can, and we do our level best to make sure that Amber won't have anything unnecessary to worry about while she tries to straighten out her life. God knows it won't be easy, but we've each been through a lot of training to help with things like this. Whether she knows it or not, Amber's got friends that _will_ help her get through this!" Gail declared firmly.

"I hope you mean that Captain, because I happen to like Amber personally, and I don't believe that _anyone_ should go through what has happened to her. Even if I didn't like her, I would _still_ try to help her in this, because she _is_ still a child and because she is also Bluestreak's friend. That's not even touching on his role of Guardian for her." Arcee stated factually.

"What Captain Summers just said, goes for all of us. I may not know Amber yet, but I _am_ a Gatekeeper! What little I've heard about Amber's life makes it sound like it was a living hell, and you can bet _anything_ you want to name that we Gatekeepers aren't going to let her go through that anymore! Whether she knows it or not, whether she _likes_ it or not; Amber's got people who can and _will_ help her now." Serena said softly but firmly.

Gail shook her head with a long sigh. "This isn't going to be easy at all. On the one hand, we have Amber who probably sees Bluestreak as the only friend she's got, so she'll likely stick close to him for that reason. She knows that he's got some psychological issues going on that means he doesn't like to be alone, so she's liable to stay close to for that reason as well. Then there's the flipside of this mess. Because of his programming issues, Bluestreak is probably going to be even more protective of Amber than we are. Add in the fact that he doesn't like to be alone, and he'll stick close to her for that reason too. All in all, we've actually got _two_ 'Charges' with this case."

"How do you figure that?" Serena asked as she and Arcee looked at the Marine Captain curiously.

"It's simple Serena… in order to help Amber; we _have_ to deal with Bluestreak. That means we'll most likely have to help him as well; just so we don't end up getting kicked to the center of town, stepped on, or shot!" Gail explained heavily.

Serena was about to speak up again, when Amber called out from the shower.

"Mrs. Summers? Can you close the door now, please?" Amber called out loudly.

Gail turned her head towards the bathroom at the sound of her name, but was deliberate in her lack of response.

Arcee looked at the Marine Captain curiously, and noticed that Serena was actually starting to smile just a touch.

"Hello? Gail? Can… can you close the door now? _Please_?" Amber called out nervously.

"I sure can Amber. You just go ahead and get dressed. We'll be waiting right out here for you." Gail replied in a loud voice so that Amber could hear as she pulled the door closed.

"Why did you not respond the first time, when I know you heard her?" Arcee asked as she narrowed her optics in suspicion.

"Because I want her to address us by our first names. Doing so will make it easier for her when she needs to vent her anger or frustration on us. It will also help her see us as equals and make it easier for her to consider us as possible friends. She can't really do that if she's constantly forced to address us as a child would an adult. Subconsciously, she _will_ see us that way but that's not something that will help her right now." Gail responded frankly.

Arcee gave some serious thought to the woman's reason while she waited for Amber to come out of the bathroom.


	9. Chapter 9

When Amber emerged from the bathroom, her hair was bound on the sides of her head in a pair of pony tails using red ribbons. She had on a white long sleeved blouse, a red mid thigh skirt, white stockings that ended just below the hem of her skirt, and red shoes with almost no heel on them. Gail frowned slightly as she stared at the outfit.

'_Doesn't she have any pants or anything else that she can wear?'_ Gail wondered in irritation. _'She dresses like one of those girls from a 'Sailor Moon' cartoon or something.'_

"Well Amber, now that you've had a shower, and gotten dressed… do you feel like getting breakfast now?" Arcee asked pleasantly.

Amber nodded her head not really wanting to speak with people she didn't know.

"Good… come on, we'll take you over to the mess hall, where we can all get something to fill our stomachs." Gail said in a slightly forced but cheerful voice. "In the meantime… Amber, I want you to meet Serena. She's a Captain in the Air Force, and she flies a C-5 Galaxy like the one you arrived in yesterday." Gail said in a more natural tone as she led the way to the mess hall.

"Actually, if she was in the C-5 that landed yesterday evening, then I was the pilot." Serena proclaimed factually.

Amber's eyes got wide as she stared at the woman she was being introduced to while she recalled that absolutely _huge_ aircraft that they had flown in. "_You_? _You_ flew that giant jumbo sized plane? How does something that big even get off the ground?" She demanded in disbelief.

Serena gave a genuine laugh at the disbelieving remark. "Well… it _does_ take a longer runway than other aircraft and it's not as fast or as agile as a fighter jet, but it does have some advantages. For example, I was able to transport you, the soldiers, and the Autobots here in one aircraft without making several trips. Now I have a question for you Amber… how'd you like the flight?"

Amber thought about it for a second before she shrugged her shoulders and quirked her mouth in a slight frown. She knew that she hadn't paid any attention to the ride in that huge plane because she'd had a lot of other things on her mind.

"Amber wasn't really in a state of mind to enjoy the flight… but as one who's flown many times I will say that I've never experienced a smoother take off or landing. You did an excellent job." Arcee said brightly.

"I… I will _certainly_ pass that compliment on to my crew! A plane that size can't be flown by one person. Sure I was the one at the controls but I have a navigator to tell me which direction I need to go, how fast, and at what altitude. My Communications Officer also monitors all radio traffic, and my Radar Operator lets me know what clearance I have in regard to other aircraft. It's impossible to fly that plane alone. You'd either have to follow another aircraft, or receive directions from the ground, but it can't be done by an individual without _some_ type of help from others… so my crew deserves just as much of that commendation as I do, and I will certainly pass that on to them if you don't mind." Serena replied with a smile.

"I don't mind at all, in fact, I will _insist_ on it. You see, I've spoken with Optimus, and Ratchet agrees that we would prefer you to be our pilot from now on. I believe that Optimus will present General Watson with a request for you and your crew to be assigned to work with us." Arcee explained in a hopeful tone.

"That's something I'd have to discuss with my crew. Working directly with you Autobots would definitely be interesting, but it would also mean less flight time to log our hours in." Serena replied honestly.

"Actually… if we start training according to Ironhide's preferences; you might end up getting _more_ flight time in, but it might be in slightly smaller planes though." Arcee returned.

Amber walked next to Arcee on the femme's right as the small entourage headed to the mess hall. Serena was on the other side of Arcee's blue frame and Gail was walking slightly behind them.

Amber didn't really pay that much attention to the conversation, because she was more concerned with where they were going. It wasn't a very long walk, and when they entered the building, Amber saw a huge cafeteria that had quite a few people in it, although there were still a lot of empty tables. She didn't know that as the largest military base on U.S. soil, Nellis operated continuously. That was the reason for the number of people in the mess hall.

As they walked towards the serving line, Amber noticed that the small group got a _lot_ of stares from what felt like almost everyone in the room. It was something that had only happened to her at school, and it made her _very_ self-conscious.

"How ya doing young lady? Haven't had someone your age in here before, so you must be new on base."

Amber looked up at the man who'd spoken to her, and saw that he was an older man wearing a typical soldier's uniform with a white apron over it, and a white cook's hat instead of the hat that soldiers normally wore.

"Amber just got here yesterday afternoon, so we're going to give her the grand tour." Arcee spoke up quickly.

The man gaped at Arcee for a moment before smiling down at Amber. "Wow! You're getting the grand tour from one of the Autobots?" He asked incredulously. "How did you get _that_ lucky? They've got to be about the best kind of friend anyone could ask for," he finished with a grin.

"Why, thank you Sergeant. I really appreciate that. Amber's new on base, but I can already tell that I'll enjoy having her around." Arcee replied evenly.

The sergeant stationed on the serving line obviously had no idea what to say in response to that, so he merely nodded and turned his attention to Amber.

"Well Ms. Amber… what would you like for breakfast? We've got a decent variety to pick from. Pancakes, waffles, French toast, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage links, sausage patties, hashed browns, grits, oatmeal, regular, and whole wheat toast, frosted flakes, Cheerios, or Wheaties if you want cold cereal, grape juice, orange juice, apple juice, coffee, and milk, along with hot chocolate and several kinds of tea. So what's it gonna be?" He asked cheerfully.

Amber gaped at the strange man for a second before she looked at all the different food in the steam tables. "Um… two waffles and a sausage patty... with the syrup on the side, please."

The sergeant manning the line grinned as he quickly put the plate together, and handed it over. "You can grab whatever you want to drink near the end of the line. Now what would the two Captains prefer?"

Gail and Serena both made their own choices in short order and quickly moved to join Amber further down the line where Arcee was apparently keeping her company. As soon as they caught up to the pair, Gail noted with silent approval that Amber had only gotten a fork from the tableware containers before getting a glass of orange juice and a glass of milk.

Gail led the way to an unoccupied table, and Amber sat down on one side with her back to the civilian men at the next table, while Gail and Serena sat across from her. Arcee sat down next to Amber on the girl's right.

Amber hesitated before starting to eat. She looked at Gail, Serena, and Arcee nervously. "Who's going to pay for all this?"

"The Government or the taxpayers I guess. I've never really thought about that one before. The mess hall is free for those on Base, but the PX and the Commissary require cash. There's a few places that you'll need to pay for things on base… but not many," Serena answered easily.

Serena saw the girl let out a deep breath of relief. She was pretty sure the girl had been worried because of a financial shortage, but she knew that was nothing to be truly concerned about as long as she was on the base.

Just then, Serena looked up as she noticed someone approaching the table they were sitting at. The young woman appeared to be certain about where she was heading, and that destination was clearly the table they were sitting at. She was about to speak up and discourage the young woman, when she was beaten to it.

"Good morning Gail, Arcee, Amber. Hey Amber, did you sleep okay?" Mikeala asked as she sat down with a small breakfast.

"I sure did Mikeala." Amber said after she looked to see who was addressing her. "I slept in Bluestreak's front seat. All I had was a pillow, but he made sure that I didn't need anything else; no blankets or nothing."

Mikeala laughed lightly as she pointed at Arcee for emphasis. "Autobots are great, aren't they? I swear you couldn't _hope_ for a better friend!"

"I believe that I said much the same thing about Bluestreak this morning." Arcee said with a smile while blinking a single optic off while looking at Mikeala.

Amber nodded her head in agreement. "You did say something like that. I don't remember the exact words, but I think you're right. Bluestreak didn't have to do any of the stuff he's done for me, but he did, and all he wants me to do for him is to talk to him."

"That's an Autobot for you Amber; they don't ever ask for much, and most times they don't ask for anything at all." Mikeala said with a light laugh.

Amber put down the fork she'd been about to use to cut up her waffles, and looked at Mikeala who was sitting on the other side of the table and slightly to her left. "You mean that don't you?"

Mikeala wasn't stupid or deaf either, and only someone who was both would have missed the suspicion in Amber's question. "Yes Amber, I do mean that. The Autobots have saved my life several times, and so far they haven't asked me to do anything. Sure, I've helped Ratchet out a few times since I can reach the tight spots that he would have trouble with since my hands are smaller, but that's something I offer to do. That was part of why I came to Wyoming. If Bluestreak had needed some kind of repair that Ratchet couldn't get to without taking him half apart, then I would have done it." She explained easily.

"But… but you didn't even _know_ Bluestreak!" Amber protested in confusion.

"No… you're right. I didn't know him… but I _do_ know the Autobots, and I know how they are. Bumblebee saved my life just a couple of hours after I met him. He could have let me fall, and get seriously hurt or killed, but he didn't. If he hadn't dove and slid across a bunch of concrete to save me and Sam, he wouldn't have gotten caught by Sector Seven. They tried to freeze him and they tortured him pretty bad, and his vocal processor was messed up so he couldn't even ask them to stop." Mikeala said before taking a heavy breath to calm her nerves after recalling those events.

"You know what the worst part was? He _knew_ they were looking for him, but that didn't stop him from risking his life to save mine. _That's_ the kind of friends the Autobots are! And that is why, when I learned that Bluestreak might need my help. They didn't even have to ask… I _volunteered_." Mikeala said proudly.

Amber nodded her head before she turned her attention back to her breakfast. She was raising the first bite to her mouth when she heard some of the comments from the table behind her.

"Don't start it Jace. Nobody wants to hear the sick shit that comes out of your mouth this morning." One voice said disgustedly.

"Yeah, and there is no way you're gonna make me lose my appetite, so just keep your yap shut." Another ordered firmly.

"Oh _really_?" One voice asked smugly. "Would you like to bet on that?"

"I'm telling you Jace… just shut up!"

"Oh no! You can't give me a challenge like that and expect me to ignore it." Jace declared with a smirk.

"What's the best thing about thirty nine year olds?" Jace asked. "There's thirty of them!"

Amber heard several disgusted sounds at that comment, and she wanted to ignore them, but they were right behind her.

"What's the bad thing about bald pussy?" Jace asked. "Putting the diaper back on when you're done with it."

"Dammit Jace… _Shut up_!" A voice said in a near growl.

"Yeah!"

"When does a Cub Scout, become a Boy Scout?" Jace asked smugly. "When he eats his first Brownie!"

"Last one… how do you make a ten year old girl cry?" Jace asked smugly. "You wipe your bloody dick on her teddy bear when you're done fucking her!"

Amber wasn't paying any attention to what was happening at her table, because that last one sent a lot of horrible thoughts and _far_ too many memories through her mind. Tears sprang to her eyes and she jumped up to run from the cafeteria and back to her room.

Gail watched in almost helpless rage as Amber fled. She'd heard that last comment. She got up wanting to severely pound on the jerk until he couldn't even beg for mercy. She saw Arcee, Mikeala, and Serena quickly move to follow Amber, which gave her a minute to deal with the creep.

"Way to go _asshole_! There was a _kid_ sitting behind you and _she_ heard all of your _sick_ jokes!" One man said disgustedly.

Gail stepped over to the table, reached around, and grabbed the man by the front of his shirt. The guy had a shocked look on his face, and he'd obviously gone pale for some reason, but she had no intention of stopping yet. "You'd better be glad that she needs my attention right now, or I'd beat the living crap out of you for that. If I _ever_ hear another disgusting comment like that from you again, I'll break your jaw in such a way that you'll _never_ speak again!" She said in a soft near snarl before turning to run after Amber.

When Gail arrived at the barracks where Amber had her room, she found everyone watching as a sobbing Amber snatched her stuffed animal collection off the shelves and threw them back into trash bags. "Amber, what are you doing?"

"Throwing them away." Amber wailed amidst her nearly hysterical crying.

"Why? Why would you do that?" Arcee asked in confusion.

Amber turned to look at the Autobot with her face twisted into a mix of pain and grief. "Because… how do I _know_?" She wailed in a sobbing voice. "How do I know they didn't?"

'_They… oh my God! She said they.'_ Gail thought in disbelieving horror.

"You're right Amber. You can't tell if they did or not… but _I_ can!" Arcee said firmly as she moved to stop what Amber was doing. "So just give me a moment to find out." She added before turning to scan every last one of the stuffed plushies.

Amber watched in tears as a blue laser looking beam of light shot from Arcee's eyes and played over every last one of the stuffed animals still on the shelves, and then over the bags, before turning to the ones on the bed.

"The only traces of DNA that I can find… are from oils in the skin of those who sewed these together, along with those who have handled them. The only exception to that…" Arcee said as she moved closer to the bed and picked up the large white teddy bear that was set in the center, "is _this_ one. I can detect a lot of oils from your skin where you've handled this one many times. There are also a lot of minerals left behind which were deposited by your tears. From that, I know that you've often held this bear many times while you cried." She said gently while looking Amber in the eyes.

"Then there's this as well." Arcee added as she reached around and plucked a single strand of Amber's hair from the back of the teddy bear without taking her optics off Amber's eyes.

"So they… they didn't…"

"No Amber… they didn't. Your collection has not been damaged, soiled, or even _touched_ by what they did to you." Arcee said in a softly gentle voice.

Amber took a shaky breath and let it out raggedly while she tried to calm down. The mere thought that her papas had done something to make her stuffed animals be as dirty as she felt after their 'games' was not something she could handle. She had completely _hated_ what she'd been forced to do to 'pay' for each and every item she had, but she hadn't been given any other choice.

Amber turned around to see Mikeala pulling some of the plushies out of the trash bag and gently putting them back on the shelves. Still sniffling, and starting to hiccup, Amber began helping Mikeala place the stuffed animals back where they belonged.

"Amber… do you feel like going back to the mess hall to finish eating your breakfast?" Gail asked after the plushies were put back on the shelves.

Amber shook her head sadly. "I'm… I'm not hungry anymore."

"Then don't worry about it Amber… we can get you something later if you get hungry, okay?" Mikeala replied gently. "And I promise that you won't have to pay for it either." She added with a light smile.

Amber nodded her head, and moved to sit down on the bed.

"Come Amber, Bluestreak is in the med bay at Ratchet's insistence to make sure that all the repairs are holding. Let's go see how that's progressing, shall we?" Arcee suggested to get Amber's mind on something else.

"But… but I thought. I thought Bluestreak's repairs were finished last night." Amber protested.

"They were, but Ratchet insisted that Bluestreak gets checked out to make sure that all the repairs are holding properly and that nothing else needs to be done. It's a simple precaution, Amber. Ratchet never leaves _anything_ to chance when it comes to our health." Arcee explained.

"Is he _really_ just making sure that Bluestreak's okay? Bluestreak's not going to… fall apart or anything is he?" Amber asked fretfully.

"No Amber." Arcee said patiently. "Like I said, Ratchet's only making sure that the repairs he made last night are going to hold and that he took care of everything that needed to be done. Our friend is going to be fine."

Amber nodded her head and sniffled before heading to the door. She knew the others were following her because she could almost _feel_ it. When she walked out the front door of the Barracks, she was surprised to see Helen Collins walking towards her. She sniffled again before looking at the older woman and trying to figure out how she was going to apologize for the way she'd acted the day before.

"_I knew it!_" Helen exclaimed almost triumphantly when Amber sniffled. "Being caught in that rain is giving you a cold. Well I have the perfect cure right here."

Helen handed Amber a thermos that was half full. "You drink all of that right now young lady, and no arguments about it. I'm not about to let you get sick, simply because others don't know how to take care of a nice young lady like you." She said firmly as Amber looked at the thermos askance.

"Go on… drink it up… _all_ of it! You'll need that to nip those sniffles in the bud before they turn into a nasty cold." Helen ordered in a tone that wouldn't take no for an answer as Amber drank the contents of the thermos.

"What is that stuff anyway?" Amber asked when she was done, because it had been slightly sweet and a touch tart at the same time, but it was hot and was warming her insides a quite a bit.

"That… is an old home remedy that is better than any cough syrup. It's called a Hot Toddy, and it _still_ works better than anything else you can buy at a store." Helen replied smugly.

"Wait a minute… isn't there scotch or whiskey in a hot toddy?" Gail asked doubtfully.

"Of course there is!" Helen answered indignantly. "Along with honey and lemon. That's what makes it work so well."

"You're giving _alcohol_ to a kid her age?" Gail demanded loudly in disbelief.

"What do you think those companies put in that cough syrup everyone's so fond of?" Helen shot back.

"Actually… Ratchet is telling me that such a combination would be _extremely_ effective against the bacteria that causes a cold, because the heat and alcohol along with the high sugar content of the honey would attack any bacteria on three separate fronts, while the lemon juice would provide the Vitamin C to boost Amber's immune system. Ratchet is saying that he would like to obtain the recipe from you, if you don't mind." The blue Arcee unit said to Gail and then to Helen as she finished speaking.

"I'll write it down and let you give it to him then, how's that?" Helen replied with a smile.

"Ratchet would appreciate that very much, and Bluestreak has asked me to relay his sincere thanks for helping to take care of Amber." Arcee said with a smile.

"You can tell Bluestreak that it was my pleasure. Amber's obviously a nice young lady who's been through a very rough time the past couple of days, and if _I_ have anything to say about it; that rough time is _over_!" Helen stated in a no nonsense tone.

"Being abandoned in the rain, and then having someone try to kill you is the kind of thing that would put _anyone_ out of sorts for a very long time! Even so, she was still fairly polite during dinner last night, which leads me believe that she's a very well mannered young lady. That's why you can bring her to my home any time she needs something, especially if that something is a decent home cooked meal. I don't mean to offend anyone, but I can't say much for military cooking. It might fill the stomach, but it tends to lack a proper flavor." Helen said firmly.

"You won't hear any arguments from me on that one Mrs. Collins. The chow hall puts out a decent spread, but it's got _nothing_ on the sample of your cooking that I enjoyed last night." Gail chimed in while looking over at Amber to see if she agreed.

"Good! Just keep in mind that anyone with Amber is also invited at any time. Now I recommended to Rachel that she gets a good hot soak for an hour or so once she gets on watch. That'll help sooth any aches and pains left after being thrown out of that van. I'd like for someone to let me know if she still has the sniffles later tonight. If she does, then I'll fix her another Hot Toddy to knock that right out of her." Helen said with a light smile.

"You can count on it, Mrs. Collins." Gail replied sincerely.

"Mrs. Collins…?" Amber called softly.

"Yes Amber?" Helen answered with a smile.

"I'm… I'm sorry for the way I acted at dinner last night." Amber apologized plaintively.

"Don't you fret over that Young Lady. As I said, what you went through would have put _anyone_ out of sorts." Helen declared firmly. "Now you just need to take things easy and relax for a day or two. I'd say that you need a good long soak in a hot tub. I'll just bet that after getting thrown out of that van that you've got some sore muscles, scrapes and bruises, and a hot tub will help with that; those sniffles too." She added with a smile.

Amber nodded her head and turned to look at Gail. "Can I go see Bluestreak now?"

"Absolutely." Gail answered with a smile.

"Bluestreak has not been assigned to duty yet, so he can spend plenty of time with you Amber, and for right now, I'm sure that he'll want to do exactly that." Arcee explained with a smile of her own.

"I don't suppose there's anyway I could tag along is there? I'd like to meet Bluestreak for myself." Helen asked hesitantly.

"I don't why that would be a problem. You're cleared to be on base, so you would also have clearance to associate with any Autobot you meet." Arcee answered quickly.


End file.
